Listen
by delicatedreams
Summary: Much about Snape's life was revealed with Deathly Hallows...but what about the years he taught at Hogwarts before Harry? What if there was a girl who needed someone to understand just what she was going through?
1. Chapter 1

The breeze rustled Eleanor's robes ever so slightly as she stared up at Hogwarts. It was so good to be back for her 6th year after two long months away. Subconsciously she rubbed her arms where thin scars crisscrossed underneath newly formed bruises. Noticing what she had been doing, she tugged her sleeves down further and darted after the other students into the castle.

"Elle – over here!" a voice called over the noise of the students.

Eleanor lifted her head and peered around for the source of the voice. A small smile slipped onto her face as she spotted her best friend Leigh waving frantically at her from the doors into the Great Hall. Eleanor hurried over to her, surprised that she hadn't found her on the Hogwarts Express earlier. Leigh quickly explained that she had come four days earlier with her mother who was the Arithmancy teacher Professor Septima Vector.

"Why?" Eleanor prodded as they sat down at the Slytherin house table. "You normally just come on the train."

"Well, they got the new potions teacher, and mom suggested that it would be nice for him to have someone help him get set up. She bribed me with a new broomstick."

"Ooo…who is it?" Eleanor looked up at the staff table in search of the new teacher. After peering around for a moment, she spotted a sallow-skinned young man that she vaguely recognized.

"That's Severus Snape. He was in his seventh year when we were in our first year." A look passed over Leigh's face that Eleanor quickly recognized as one that her friend got when she had good gossip. "Rumor has it that Snape was a fairly faithful Death Eater. No one knows why Dumbledore trusts him."

"So, what is he like?"

Leigh just shrugged. "He was super quiet. I carried some stuff in for him and organized potions ingredients. All he ever said was 'thank you' and 'place that over there.' He's also a bit creepy, but what Slytherin isn't? We're kind of infamous for it."

"Did you like him? Will he be a good teacher?"

"Why so many questions, Elle? Do you want to date the man or something?" Leigh smirked. "He's actually probably your type…all dark and brooding."

Before Eleanor could snap something back, Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and stood up. His snowy white beard cascaded over an elegant royal blue robe, and his piercing blue eyes sparkled behind his half-moon glasses. Eleanor swallowed her comebacks out of respect for the Headmaster.

"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore called out. "Before we dig into the delectable feast provided by our wonderful house elves, I have a couple of quick announcements to make. First off, I want to remind all students that the Forbidden Forrest is off-limits. Secondly, there is an updated list of forbidden objects up by Mr. Filch's office, including a numerous amount of items from Zonko's. And finally, I would like to introduce everyone to our new Potions Master, Professor Severus Snape. He graduated from our own Slytherin house several years ago and has chosen to return as a teacher at my request. He's a fine addition to our staff, and I expect everyone to pay him respect."

The staff table clapped politely for the new teacher and the students soon joined in, most of the applause coming from the Slytherin side of the room.

"Now...tuck in everyone!" Dumbledore took his seat and food instantly appeared.

Eleanor immediately grabbed for the platter of turkey and dug in. As she ate, she talked with Leigh and some of the other Slytherin sixth and seventh years. Everyone chattered on about their summers and family trips; Eleanor just kept quiet and listened to the stories, living vicariously through their tales. Occasionally Leigh would glance at Eleanor with a subtle sympathetic look. Leigh knew that Eleanor had family issues and hated holidays with her family, but Eleanor rarely told Leigh more than that.

Dinner soon changed to dessert, but Eleanor was no longer hungry. She whispered that she was leaving to Leigh and slowly slipped out of the Great Hall. The hallways were completely deserted and silent because virtually every single person was still in the Great Hall; Eleanor quite liked Hogwarts like that. She hugged her cloak around her curvy body as she headed down the steps that would lead her to the Slytherin common room. A problem arose when she came to the blank stretch of wall that would normally let her in; she hadn't bothered to get the password from anyone.

"It's 'cobra' if you were wondering," a deep voice muttered to her left. Eleanor swiveled around to see the new potions master coming towards her from the direction she had just come from.

"Um, thank you…"

"Did you grow tired of the feast as well?" he asked, surreptitiously glancing at her curly red hair.

She nodded. "I'm not overly fond of listening to everyone else's summer stories when mine wasn't exactly spectacular." Red color crept into her cheeks. Why had she just told him that?

"I understand fully. My summers weren't enjoyable when I was in school. They were bearable because of a wonderful friend, but Hogwarts was always my home."

"It's mine too." Eleanor found herself smiling at the black-haired potions master. "Are you glad to be teaching?"

He sneered slightly. "It's a job." Then he shrugged. "I like Potions, but I never saw myself being a teacher. Not to mention I am much more inclined to the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Do you like Potions class?"

"Oh very much," Eleanor enthused. "It's one of my most favorite classes, and that is saying something because I'm a bit of a bookworm."

"Ah, a little bit Ravenclaw, aren't you?"

"My whole family was in Slytherin, including my older sister Rosaline. I adored her and absolutely clung to her when I was younger, so I wanted to be just like her. She's a good ten years older than me." Eleanor cocked her head to one side. "Why am I telling you this?"

He smiled at her. "It's just nice to have someone to listen sometimes. Well, then, I'll let you get into your dorm now. Goodnight; I will see you in class tomorrow."

His dark head disappeared down the corridor. Eleanor silently agreed in her head that it was nice to have someone listen. Perhaps Professor Snape would be as good a teacher as Slughorn…and quite a bit less selective about the students he liked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Sorry that there was no introduction whatsoever for this story with the first part. I hope everyone enjoys my attempt at a believable Snape fanfiction. I still haven't decided if I want to take the relationship in this story to a romantic level; Eleanor and Severus may just stay friends. For the most part, I'm going to keep this canon. However, if any romance comes in, it is clearly straying away from canon, especially since I don't think Snape would really have a relationship with Eleanor – or any other student for that matter – because A) He NEVER got over Lily and truly loves her and B) Does Snape really seem like the mess-around-with-students type?

I want to apologize now for slip-ups with timelines and such. I'm relying on a great site called for most of my information on Snape. Based off his age in this fiction (22), it should be 1982…which presents problems because I was not alive in 1982. I'll try to keep all gadgets and such inline with this date, but I'm sure I'll make mistakes and slip stuff in there that doesn't show up for another 10, or even 20, years.

I hope you all enjoy the story! Reviews would be fantastic – thanks to the fabulous Ravenclawblonde for already being a loyal reader and reviewer.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter in any way. I do own character like Eleanor that I have personally created.

Eleanor woke up the next morning a good hour before anyone else, due to the fact that she had fallen asleep before any of the other Slytherin sixth year girls had come to the dorm. In that hour she had to herself, she took a long shower and then slowly changed into her full school uniform, taking an unusual amount of time to button each button and to tie her tie. Just as she was buckling her pristine black shoes, the other girls stirred as Leigh's magically run alarm clock started to belt out a moody song by Hostis Dei, one of Leigh's favorite wizard bands.

"Morning Elle!" Beatrice Crabbe said dazedly, sitting up in her four poster bed which was clad in elegant beige and gold Egyptian cotton sheets. "We missed you in the common room party last night."

"I bet she snuck off with some sort of secret lover," Arianna Belle quipped as she got out of bed to curl her normally flat blonde hair. "How about it Elle? Who is he?"

"Oh dear, you guys caught me. I was off at the Hog's Head snogging a Ministry official." She giggled along with the four girls in the dormitory: Beatrice, Arianna, Leigh, and Maxi. Light conversation continued as the girls changed into their uniforms.

Despite wearing the same basic pieces, each girl looked very different. Beatrice had hiked the skirt up a few inches and was wearing a pair of designer black heels that showed off her legs, toned and golden from her summer job as a Quidditch instructor at a young witches' camp. Her elbow-length black hair was tied in a ponytail with a green, silk ribbon that matched her expensive emerald earrings and bangles. Arianna had totally abandoned black shoes in favor of a pair of green stilettos. She was wearing her Slytherin tie as a headband to hold back her recently curled hair and had left her shirt unbuttoned down to the top of her sweater (that was cashmere, not the normal wool). Leigh had only messed with the uniform a little by hiking the skirt up like the other girls, but she wore pearls in her ears and at her neck, giving Leigh an overall classy look. Her naturally platinum blonde waves cascaded all the way down to her slender waist. Maxi Black-Hernandez had gone the furthest away from the basic Hogwarts uniform, having done things like trimming the skirt with green ribbon and making the neckline of the sweater lower cut. Her hair was dark brown and had two colored streaks, green and silver, at the front. Frankly, the other Slytherin girls thought she looked a bit trashy, but no one would say so because her family was comprised of two of the most prominent pureblood families.

Eleanor was the only one who had left her uniform untouched. As a prefect and a girl with an overactive case of OCD, she prided herself in having her uniform neat and proper. The only item she wore not specified for the uniform was a simple silver locker that rested on her tie. She was just reorganizing her books in a plain black satchel when a piercing screech sounded from the common room. Startled, the girls sprinted down the stairs to the common room.

It appeared that the whole Slytherin house had materialized in the common room. Several people were in the center of the crowd, shouting. Leigh and Eleanor both climbed up on one of the leather couches to see over the seventh year guys who were in front of them. Meredith James, a rather possessive and stuck-up seventh year, was screeching shrilly at her boyfriend Jackson Waters who had his arm casually slung around the waist of a very skinny fifth year named Abigail, who had a rather smug look on her face.

"Well perhaps if you hadn't gained so much weight in June, your boyfriend wouldn't have turned to me," Abigail snapped back at the screeching Meredith.

That shut Meredith up for a minute but not for any longer than that. She lunged at Abigail with a dog-like yelp and tackled her to the ground. The room burst into cheers and jeers. Several perverted guys moved closer, hoping to get a better look at the two girls rolling around on the floor. Eleanor and Leigh just rolled their eyes and climbed down off of the couch. It really wasn't that unusual to see two girls going at it in the Slytherin common room. If teenage girls were known for being a bit hormonal, then the Slytherin girls were known for being pure bundles of hormones, in other words, rather bitchy.

"Silence! SILENCE!" a vaguely recognizable voice yelled over all the noise. Miraculously, the whole room went completely quiet and turned to face the entrance to the common room

Professor Snape was standing just inside the room with his arms crossed angrily across his severe black robes. A chill seemed to rustle through the room. Despite Severus Snape only being five years older than the seventh years, authority just seemed to ooze from him. Abigail and Meredith had paused in their catfight, Meredith's fist frozen just above Abigail's face. Eleanor and Leigh both rose up on their tiptoes, too nervous to climb back on the couch for a good view of him. His face was completely void of emotion, but his tone had hinted at strong disdain.

"I came in here to tell you all how glad I was to be your new Head of House, and THIS is what I'm greeted with?" he drawled. "Explain yourself."

Meredith climbed slowly off of Abigail and then helped her up. Nerves showed prominently on both of their faces. "I'm sorry sir," Meredith said, staring down at the floor. "We were just being catty teenage girls; we're done. Right, Abigail?"

Abigail nodded fervently. "Yes Professor Snape. Sir, did you say you're our new Head of House?"

"I presume it occurred to all of you that you would have to have a new Head of House, seeing as I took Professor Slughorn's job." Snape uncrossed his arms and surveyed the room. "I am the only Hogwarts teacher who has graduated from Slytherin, so, therefore, the job fell to me. The Headmaster will announce it at breakfast in a few minutes. How about we end this little quarrel for good and all head down to eat?"

The room filled back up with chatter as the Slytherin students began to gather their things and leave the room. Leigh hurried back up to get her schoolbag, so Eleanor waited for her by the couch they had been standing on minutes before. Eleanor couldn't help but think about how silly it was for two girls to fight over a guy who was very clearly an ass. Jackson Waters was notorious for cheating and being an all-over player; it was surprising that Meredith hadn't caught him in something before then. Eleanor shook her head as she thought about the stupidity of the situation; those students had no idea what real problems were.

Just then Leigh flounced back down the stairs. "Come on, darling," she crooned at Eleanor. "I am absolutely famished." Leigh practically dragged Eleanor out of the common room.

"Miss Vector!" Professor Snape was standing by the wall opposite the common room's exit. "Would you mind helping me sort my ingredients that just came in after dinner this evening? I'll give you house points."

"Oh, of course Professor," Leigh said brightly. "I'll bring Elle with me. She's kind of obsessive compulsive, so she's pretty good at organizing things."

Professor Snape nodded. "Thank you, girls. I'll see you both in class; sixth years have me right after lunch."

"Why did you just volunteer me?" Eleanor exclaimed after Snape had disappeared down the hallway.

"Well, you are a good organizer. And frankly, he's really creepy to be with alone! I don't know what my mother was thinking when she just decided to volunteer me to help him out." Leigh's tone was not incredibly convincing.

"You have other reasons Leigh," Eleanor said, raising her eyebrows at her friend.

"Okay…so I feel like you and Professor Snape could be good friends, perhaps more when you graduate."

"That's sick Leigh. He's a teacher!" Eleanor wrinkled up her nose in mock disgust.

"But you do have to admit that if he got a haircut, he could be rather attractive."

Eleanor just rolled her eyes. "I'm not the least bit interested Leigh. You have a sick, sick mind. Can we just go eat?"

"If you insist," Leigh sighed, skipping off down the hallway. Eleanor shook her head, smiling slightly, and followed quickly after her best friend.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Alright guys, thank you if you are still reading this story. Thank you to the three lovely people who reviewed the first two parts; it's greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, this part is really short and does not include our favorite Potions Master. This part is important for my plot development, though, I swear. I'll get out a better part soon, unless I die at lacrosse camp tomorrow. :)

"Are you going to have anytime to breathe this year?" Leigh asked, gawking at Eleanor's newly made schedule.

"I need these classes," Eleanor said simply. She slipped her schedule – which included Defense Against the Dark Arks, Potions, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Charms, Transfiguration, and History of Magic – down into her school bag.

"Why do you _need_ them?"

"Because not all of us have people to run to if the world turns tough after school. You forget my family situation. I _have _to get out of that house as soon as I possibly can." With that, Eleanor snatched up her bag and stormed out of the Great Hall in the direction of Arithmancy classroom.

She had left breakfast so early that Professor Vector, Leigh's mother, was the only person in the classroom. The woman was often the polar opposite of her daughter, especially looks-wise. Her hair was short, black, and choppy and framed a face that featured a slightly large nose and shimmering green eyes. Professor Vector was also as tiny as her daughter was tall. The whole look put together made her an odd combination of incredibly chic and motherly. Everyone adored her, especially Eleanor. Often she wished that Professor Vector could be her friend instead of Leigh; other times she desperately longed for Vector to be her mother.

Professor Vector looked up in surprise as the door shut behind Eleanor. "Hello dear," she said. "I'm glad to see you're taking my class. It's rather disappointing that Leigh is absolutely dreadful at the subject I teach." Her face softened. "You look upset Eleanor. What's wrong? Did Leigh say something incredibly shallow and stupid?"

Eleanor blushed and avoided Professor Vector's eyes. "That means she did," Vector confirmed.

"She didn't mean to," Eleanor mumbled. "She just was commenting on my very packed class schedule and struck a chord. You know your daughter; she just doesn't always think about her comments."

"How are things with your parents?" Professor Vector questioned delicately. "I'm assuming that's what her comments made you think of."

"Not so good."

"Remember that you are always welcome with us. In fact, I'd pick you over Leigh most of the time, so you can have her room." Professor Vector laughed. "I'm kidding; don't tell Leigh I said that. Nevertheless, I do love you like a daughter."

Before anything else could be said, the warning bell for classes rang, and students began to filter into the classroom. Eleanor slowly slid into a seat towards the back of the classroom. Only nine students were continuing on with NEWTs Arithmancy; these students included two Gryffindors, one Hufflepuff, four Ravenclaws, and two Slytherins: Eleanor and a rather quiet kid named Henry. When the late rang, Professor Vector launched into a discussion about what to expect in the first semester. Unfortunately, she assigned a rather lengthy book to be read by the next Monday, which led to a chorus of groans from the whole class. The bell rang right after Vector gave the assignment, so no one had the chance to complain anymore than that.

With a sigh, Eleanor plopped down at the Slytherin table for lunch. After Arithmancy, Eleanor had trudged through an incredibly long History of Magic class and then survived a particularly difficult period of Ancient Runes. She not only had the book to read for Arithmancy, she also had to write an essay on mermaids and translate several pages of runes. What a wonderful day it was starting out to be.

"I'm sorry for being insensitive earlier," Leigh said suddenly, appearing next to Eleanor on the bench. "I just…forget sometimes."

"It's okay, Leigh, really. You should treat me just like you would treat anyone else; I want to be normal at Hogwarts. I just was too touchy this morning."

Leigh nodded. Then she pointed up at the ceiling and said, "Isn't that your owl?"

A beautiful tawny owl soared down from the ceiling and landed smoothly between Eleanor's and Leigh's plates. It presented its leg swiftly to Eleanor, allowed her to pull off the letter, and then swooped off once more.

"It's from Aunt Marianne, "Eleanor told Leigh, ripping the letter open at once. Her face paled as she read the letter. A complete expression of shock with a hint of pain washed over her face as she slowly lowered the letter. Her lips trembled as she said, "Mum is at St. Mungo's; she's been hit with a really nasty curse." She stopped, but there was quite clearly something else she wanted to say.

"What is it Elle?" Leigh whispered.

"And Rupert is missing; my step-father ran away from what he did to her!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Hey Everyone! This part is much longer than the last one and DOES have Snapeykins in it! (I'm sure Snape appreciates being called that…hehe.) Anyway, I just wanted to say that Eleanor's nickname Elle is pronounced like Elle in Legally Blonde. A friend of mine thought it was pronounced differently, so I figured I'd just make that clear to all of the readers. I hope everyone enjoys this part!

"You should go to St. Mungo's, Elle," Leigh breathed, clearly trying to remain calm for Eleanor. "I bet Dumbledore would let you Floo there."

Tears lingered in Eleanor's eyes. "Leigh – my mum is in a magical coma. She could be asleep for weeks, and that's if she _ever_ wakes up. There is no reason for me to go rushing there. I'll go this weekend; that's only two and a half days away."

Leigh studied Eleanor for a moment and sighed. There was nothing she could do about the situation to convince her friend just to forget about school and go. However, it would not hurt to try. "Why don't you just go lay down in the dorm this period?"

"No."

Just when Leigh was about to protest further, Professor Dumbledore appeared over the girls. His eyes were grave behind his half-moon spectacles. "Miss Vector, may I borrow Miss Reynolds?"

"Of course Professor Dumbledore," Leigh murmured. "See you later Elle."

Eleanor hoisted her heavy schoolbag onto her shoulder and followed Professor Dumbledore quietly up towards his office. He gave the password, Licorice Wand, and they climbed up the stairs. Eleanor had never been in Dumbledore's office; if it had been any other day, it would have been fascinating to be up there. There were bizarre instruments spread throughout the room, and then there were all of the portraits: every inch of the study's walls were covered in portraits of previous headmasters.

"Have a seat Miss Reynolds," Dumbledore said, motioning Eleanor to a chair in front of his desk. He took the seat behind the desk as she eased herself into the chair he had offered her. "I assume the owl you received in the Great Hall was from your Aunt Marianne. She sent me one as well. I'm so very sorry to hear that your mother is hurt. I remember her being a wonderful student, quite like yourself, and incredibly smart."

"If she was smart she wouldn't have married Rupert," Eleanor muttered underneath her breath, tears welling in her eyes again.

"What was that Miss Reynolds?" Dumbledore's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Eleanor shook her head. "Nothing, sir. May I just go on to Potions?"

"I thought you would want to go see your mother," Dumbledore said, his tone full of surprise. "Would you like to? I believe Professor Snape and all of your other professors would understand you missing the rest of today and perhaps tomorrow."

"I _don't want_ to go Professor Dumbledore!" Eleanor snapped. "Oh, oh Professor, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just – I'm just a bit upset."

Dumbledore smiled sadly at her. "I know this is hard to believe, but I understand how you feel. Look, I won't make you go see her right now if you don't want to; that is not my place. You should go see her soon because she's your mother, but it doesn't have to be today. However, I am going to insist that you take the rest of the day off. Go to your dorm. Maybe you could take a nap."

"Yes, sir. Perhaps a nap would be good." Eleanor stood up and walked towards the door. When she reached it, she turned around and quietly said, "Thank you Professor."

Eleanor woke up several hours later with her Arithmancy book underneath one cheek and several Ancient Runes translation splayed across her chest. After her meeting with Dumbledore, she had come back to the Slytherin common room and had attempted to do her homework. After finishing her translations, she had fallen asleep reading for Arithmancy.

Now the common room was filled with students just returning from their final period of the day. Or were they returning from dinner? Arianna walked by with half an apple in one hand; clearly it was after dinner. Eleanor yawned, sat up, and began to gather her school things back into her bag. Then she slipped up to the dorm room, which was empty except for Leigh.

"Are we still going to help Professor Snape with his ingredients?" Eleanor questioned, sitting down on Leigh's bed as her friend rustled through her trunk for something.

"Ah ha!" Leigh pulled out a short denim skirt. "Oh, I forgot all about that. I told Derrick that I would sneak out with him to Hogsmeade. Do you mind going on your own? I can cancel with Derrick…especially considering your mum."

"No, it's fine. In fact, I salute you for being able to sneak out of this castle when your mother is one of the teachers. I think I should be fine with Professor Snape; he doesn't seem like the type to sexually abuse me or something. Besides, this will give me the chance to ask him about what I missed in class today. Go enjoy Derrick."

"Thanks Elle. I owe you one darling." Leigh shimmed out of her school uniform and into the tiny skirt and a tight green top.

Eleanor waved as Leigh left and then changed into a pair loose jeans and a simple, black, button-down shirt. After pulling her curls back with a scrunchie, Eleanor made her way out of her dorm and headed in the direction of the Potions' room.

Professor Snape was seated at his desk, grading what appeared to be some summer work that Slughorn had assigned before he had resigned. Snape's slightly greasy black hair was hanging limp around his face as he murmured to himself about a poor description of the Strengthening Solution. Eleanor stepped through the door and walked over to his desk. Snape looked up. His shiny black eyes met Eleanor's aquamarine eyes, and he gave her a slight smile.

"Where's Miss Vector? Surely your best friend did not make it where you must spend an evening alone with me."

"She's – er – busy."

Snape's smile broadened. "Ah, yes, _busy_. Perhaps we should get right to work." He stood and glided towards the large supply closet in the back of the room.

Eleanor and Professor Snape immediately dove into sorting the bottles and boxes by name and level of rarity. They had been sorting silently for half an hour when Snape finally turned to Eleanor and said something. "Would you like to talk about why you were not present in class today?"

A sigh escaped Eleanor's lips as she placed a flask of flobberworm mucus next to box of flobberworm skin. Before she could stop herself, Eleanor blurted out, "My mum is in a comma thanks to my bastard of a step-father, and Dumbledore just insisted that I take the day off. I just knew as soon as I left home this year that something awful would happen! I still don't understand why she married him; it's not like he was any nicer before they got married. I thought he'd be gone in a week when they started dating, but then they dated for almost three years and now have been married for five years. Oh holy hippogriffs! And now he's gone and hurt her like this." The tears that Eleanor had been fighting back all day finally began to drip down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Professor…I didn't mean to turn into Moaning Myrtle on you." Her face turned the shade of strawberry jam.

Snape awkwardly cleared his throat. "It is quite alright Miss – er – Reynolds, is it? I just realized that we never actually introduced ourselves."

"Oh, you're right," Eleanor said, sniffling. "I'm Eleanor Reynolds. Most people just call me Elle. You don't have to call me Miss Reynolds when it's just us sorting ingredients, especially when I start bawling on you. I mean, you are only six years older than me."

"Well, I am quite sure you know my name," Snape said, smirking. "I assume you have also heard some nasty rumors about me. Unfortunately, most of them are probably true."

"You mean – you were a Death Eater?" Eleanor whispered last two words despite being completely alone with Snape.

He gave a curt nod. "I am not proud of it Miss – Elle, but indeed I was. I can assure you that I am fully on the good side now."

"Because the Dark Lord fell, sir?" Eleanor regretted saying it as soon as she did.

"NO. I have a completely different reason for it. I will not share them, but I promise you I have good ones."

"Sorry Professor; that was an incredibly rude thing for me to say."

"But it was an honest question. Many former Death Eaters are only on this side because of the Dark Lord's fall." Snape placed a lavender-colored bottle on the top shelf and turned to Eleanor, his face void of emotion. "Let's change the subject. Would you like to talk about your family? You are welcome to rant; I will listen."

So that is how Eleanor found herself telling the Potions Master everything about her horrors at home. For no good reason, she trusted him almost fully at once and told him much more than she had ever told Leigh about her timid mother and atrocious step-father. Everything just came out at once. There was a level of comfort and security for Eleanor in that supply closet. It was if she had lifted her pain off of her shoulders for several hours and placed it down on the shelves among the many ingredients. Snape didn't say anything as she talked. He sat back, listened, and continued to organize the ingredients. Eleanor reached a stopping point just as the clock in Snape's classroom began to chime. It chimed eleven times.

"Well, well, well, it seems I have kept you here for four hours," Snape mused. "You should head back to the Slytherin dorms, unless you need to keep talking."

"Oh, no sir. I've bothered you long enough, and it looks like we're out of items to sort."

"You haven't been a bother Ella – I mean Elle."

"Ella? Rosaline is the only other person who has ever called me that; I like it."

"Well, Ella, you have been very useful, and I do not mind lending my ears to you. I understand your situation, and it must help to have someone to talk to about it. I would know; I've been in a similar one."

"What? You have?"

He nodded grimly. "Yes, but that is a story for a later evening."

Eleanor followed Snape out of the cupboard and fiddled with the end of her shirt when they stopped at the classroom's door. "What did I miss in class today?" she inquired, studying his face closely for a trace of any sort of emotion resulting from his confession. However, there was none.

"We just discussed the syllabus for the year, and I assigned the first two chapters to be read by Friday. I shall write up the syllabus for you by then, if you would like."

"That would be wonderful, thanks. If you need any more help getting settled into your classroom, just ask."

"I shall. Goodnight Ella."

"Goodnight Professor Snape." Eleanor gave him a tight smile and started down the hallway.

"Ella?" Snape posed, causing her to halt and turn around. "You should go see your mother as soon as you can; you could lose her forever if you don't." A trace of regret was in his voice. Eleanor felt a pang of sympathy.

"You're right; I could."

**A/N:** Look! It's me again! I hope you liked the part and enjoyed the developing friendship between Snape and Eleanor. I'd really appreciate some reviews if you have some time; in fact, I would really like to hear your opinions on Snape and Eleanor's relationship. I want to know how deep/far the relationship should go. Should it remain platonic? Should it get romantic? I still haven't decided, so your opinion just might influence how the story goes.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I'm headed on a short vacation Friday afternoon…so there probably will not be another part up until at least Monday or Tuesday. Sorry! I'd also like to say that I think I have the ending of the story worked out. I have a good feeling that this story won't be incredibly long; I'm not anywhere near done, but it probably won't be any longer than 20 Chapters. The story will go through the final HP book, but there will most likely be a big skip to an epilogue explaining how things turned out between Eleanor and Snape. Okay…so I think I've ranted enough about the future. Enjoy this part!

"Leigh isn't back yet?" Eleanor plopped down next to Arianna on Beatrice's bed where the two girls were painting their fingernails instead of doing their Charms homework, which was the other class that Eleanor had missed.

Beatrice snorted. "Please. Maxi and Leigh went out with two hot-blooded Slytherin boys. They probably won't be back until after two. Where were you? I figured you'd found yourself a bloke and had gone with them."

"Oh, no, I was helping Professor Snape organize his supply cupboard."

The other two Slytherin girls exchanged a glance, eyebrows raised. Beatrice blew on her drying pink nails and then surveyed Eleanor. "You were there for four hours?"

"Er – yeah."

"Well, he isn't awful looking, but you could definitely do better with that body. Merlin knows he isn't making much on a first year teaching salary."

"Bee! When I said we were organizing, I was serious! That's all that we were doing."

"Why would you spend four hours helping a teacher when you don't have to?"

"Because I'm a nice person?"

"Oh please, you're a Slytherin just like us," Arianna snickered. "Nice my arse. You have to be somewhat of a bitch to be a Slytherin."

"Are you guys going to bother me until I get laid?"

"Well the rest of us have!" Beatrice pointed out, grabbing one of Eleanor's hands to paint her nails a shade of red. "It's your turn Elle."

"I think I'll keep my reputation as Slytherin's good girl intact. I'm fine with that role." Eleanor smiled and allowed Beatrice to finish painting her nails. "Although, I think this shade makes me look trashy."

Arianna and Beatrice looked down at Eleanor's fingers and laughed. "Maybe it is a bit trashy," Arianna said thoughtfully. "Leave it on!" She giggled.

Rolling her eyes, Eleanor copied down the Charms assignment from Arianna and moved over to her bed to work on it. It was a simple review of charms from previous years, so Eleanor finished it by midnight. Leigh and Maxi weren't back yet, and the other two girls were heading to sleep, so Eleanor changed into her pajamas and drifted to sleep, thoughts of her mother and Professor Snape swirling around in her mind.

The next two days passed in an incredibly slow manner. Normally Eleanor enjoyed school and didn't even mind homework. However, she found her mind constantly contemplating her mother's condition. At times, she still really didn't want to go see her mother at all, but she was slowly beginning to realize how truly worried she was about her. She had been too angry at her mother to really think about that she could lose her forever; Professor Snape had made her realize just how much she loved her mother despite the bad decisions that her mother had made. Her decision to wait until Saturday to go to St. Mungo's was starting to beat her up on the inside.

After two long days, only bearable because of gentles smiles from Leigh and her mother and the occasional look of understanding from Professor Snape, Eleanor was making her way up to Dumbledore's office. When she had woken up, she had slipped into a casual green cloak and had eaten breakfast as quickly as possible. Dumbledore had not been present at breakfast, so she assumed he was in his office. Indeed he was in his office; Professor Dumbledore was sitting casually in the armchair behind his desk, reading a book on Transfiguration, when Eleanor stepped through his open office door. A moment passed before he looked up at Eleanor, but when he did look up, he looked rather pleased to see her. His blue eyes positively twinkled as she timidly took a seat in front of the desk.

"Why hello Miss Reynolds, he said warmly. "What a pleasant surprise on such a gloomy Saturday morning." He nodded at the window where a heavy rain was beating steadily. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," Eleanor grumbled, "but I'm surviving." She released a deep sigh and glanced down at her shoes. "Sir, I wanted to go see my mother at St. Mungo's. May I go?"

"Yes, of course. I'm glad that you decided to go."

"Me too."

"It was not an easy decision, I presume."

"It was a lot easier after telling someone about what was going on."

Dumbledore nodded. "It often is. Well, Miss Reynolds, you are more than welcome to use my fireplace to Floo to the hospital. Stay as long as you need to, within reason, of course."

"Thank you so much, sir. This – this means a lot to me." With a final glance around the office, Eleanor tossed a handful of powder into the softly crackling flames (that immediately burst into a roar with the addition of the powder), stepped into the green fire, and clearly stated, "St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries!"

The world spun around Eleanor and pressed tightly up against her. Her ears popped, and her nose tickled. She squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she could to prevent ash from filling them. In mere seconds, it all stopped, and Eleanor slipped head first out of the fireplace and onto the floor of the hospital's reception area. Coughing, she stood up as a couple of people laughed at her.

"Gonna need to be at the hospital with that fall, love," a robust receptionist heckled from a desk.

Eleanor couldn't help but blush. However, she brushed the ashes off her cloak, ignored the joke at her expense, and stalked over to a kind receptionist who hadn't heckled at her.

"May I help you?" the comely young woman asked with a genuine smile on her face.

"My mother is in a long-term patient ward. Lena Reynolds Austin?"

A sympathetic expression that Eleanor was beginning to recognize too well appeared on the receptionist's face. "Oh, yes, Mrs. Austin. She'll be on the fourth floor. Take the lift there and go past the Janus Thickey Ward. Your mum will be in the Quintus Salvius Ward. I have my Catholic, muggle mother praying for her."

"Um, thank you?" Eleanor said hesitantly, giving the woman a rather confused look. How odd for a wizard receptionist to have her muggle mother pray for a person in a magical coma. It wasn't an unappreciated gesture, though. Eleanor had been to church with her squib uncle a few times; the man had found solace there when he had been rejected from the wizard community.

With a nod at the receptionist, Eleanor headed in the direction of the lift. The lift's doors opened as soon as Eleanor pushed the button, causing her to smile at the small bit of good fortune. Perhaps this was a sign that it had been the proper decision to come and see her mother. When the lift clicked to a halt at the fourth floor, comfortable feelings filled Eleanor; she could handle this. Slowly she headed in the direction of the Quintus Salvius Ward. When she passed by the Janus Thickey Ward, she couldn't help but peek inside the door. The ward appeared to be mostly empty, but two people caught Eleanor's eyes. She recognized the pair at once as the Longbottoms; she had read about their torture in _The Daily Prophet_ less than a year ago. Her heart immediately ached as she saw their gaunt, blank faces and thought about the baby boy that had lost his chance to ever know who his parents were. She quickened her pace after that and soon made it to the Quintus Salvius Ward. All of the occupants of the ward were in comas; no other visitors were present, so the room was silent.

Lena Reynolds Austin appeared to be sleeping on her bed by the window. A peaceful expression rested on her face and showed no indication that she had been brutally attacked by her second husband only three days before. Eleanor bit her lip and took a seat in the chair at the edge of her mother's bed. For the longest time she just sat; it felt silly to do anything else. Then, after what seemed like hours, Eleanor placed her hand over her mother's hand. To her complete surprise, her mother's fingers tightened around Eleanor's hand. Tears poured down Eleanor's cheeks, and before she had the chance to think about it, Eleanor began to talk to her mother. She whispered more words to the unconscious woman in the next few hours than she had probably said to her since Lena had decided to marry Rupert. She told her all about school, her friends, and the kind Potions Master who had listened so ardently to her sad stories.

"He's the reason I came to see you, mum," Eleanor breathed. "Professor Snape reminded me that I could lose you. I've been so angry at you, but I would never want you to die. I'm glad I decided to confide in him; being able to tell him everything made me realize how awful I was being by staying angry at you. I should have been standing up for you instead of ignoring that bastard you married."

And Eleanor continued speaking to her mother for several more hours. Only one thing managed to pry her away.

Three hours later, Eleanor burst through the fireplace into Dumbledore's office that was thankfully empty. She couldn't bear seeing him; there was only one person she could stand to see. With tears streaming down her face once more, Eleanor practically sprinted to the dungeons. She exploded into Snape's office at top speed. He looked up from the paper he was reading, surprised. Before he could form some sort of question or greeting, Eleanor threw her arms around his neck and broke down further. Taken aback, Snape didn't react to the embrace immediately. After a moment, he pulled himself together, said nothing, and merely stroked her back in a comforting matter.

When her sobs had lessened, he gently asked, "What happened?"

**A/N…Again**: I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but I hope this chapter will tie you over through the weekend. I've got another question ready for you guys to respond to! I don't think it's a hard one to guess…but of course, I'm writing the story. _Why did Eleanor flee from the hospital so quickly?_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Here it is finally!!! Sorry it took so long. It's not nearly as long as the last one, but it isn't the shortest either. I got no comments on the last chapter…that makes me sad. I am glad that there are people reading, though! Thank you!

"I'm sorry for just bursting in and throwing myself on you," Eleanor whispered, not answering his question. "I just – I just – I just couldn't think of anything else to do."

"What happened?" Snape asked more firmly, placing his hands on her arms and delicately removing her from his neck.

Her whole body trembled as he eased her into a chair. "I was visiting my mum at St. Mungo's, and _he_ showed up. He just waltzed into her room, his head held high. He shot me this dreadfully evil smile, and all I could do was bolt." Eleanor buried her head in her shaking hands and burst into tears again.

"You mean your step-father?" Snape questioned, sitting down next to her.

She nodded glumly.

Severus Snape visibly stiffened up, and his eyes filled up with a venomous look. "That bastard," he hissed.

Eleanor looked up at him, surprised. "Wh-what?"

"I cannot stand abusive husbands and fathers; they are lower than the most miserable manticore." Snape clenched his fists and glared at the wall. "Ella – you ought to know that I grew up with an abusive father. My father Tobias was much like Rupert is now; he ruined my youth."

Snape's fists shook with anger, and he closed his eyes. Eleanor reached her hands out and placed them tenderly on either side of his face. Surprisingly he didn't draw back from her but instead opened his eyes and brushed some red hair out of her eyes.

"I can see why you empathized with me," Eleanor said, tears still glistening in the corners of her eyes. "Would you like to talk about it Professor? It would take my mind off of Rupert."

"Severus. Call me Severus."

"Severus," Eleanor repeated, turning the word over on her tongue. "Talking really does help."

Severus Snape did talk. He told Eleanor everything about his parents and Lily. Oh he told her everything about Lily. In fact, he had never told Lily Evans as much about his problems as he chose to tell Eleanor. Lily had lived too nice of a life to truly understand what he was going through; Eleanor, on the other hand, understood it all. Their pain linked them, and in turn, it brought comfort to them both just to have each other to talk to.

Several minutes of silence passed after Snape finished his story for Eleanor. Eleanor's gentle blue eyes soaked in Snape. She noted his sallow skin that oddly worked well with his incredibly dark eyes and rather oily black hair. He wasn't conventionally handsome, and many, undoubtedly, would see him as unappealing. Despite this, Eleanor did find him attractive; she wasn't attracted to him in a sexual manner, but she was bizarrely drawn to his person. His dark looks fit stereotypical gothic style, fitting well with his pain which was the trait that bound them together.

Eleanor reached out and took a hold of one of Snape's hands. "Severus?" She locked eyes with him. "Would you come go see my mum with me next weekend? I want to go see her again, but I'm so scared that Rupert will be there."

"I believe that you should tell the Headmaster about Rupert."

"Why?" Eleanor asked, a bit surprised at the suggestion.

"I believe he could do something about it; he could convince the Wizengamot to try Rupert for the cursing of your mother."

Eleanor shook her head at Snape. "No Severus, just leave it along. Dumbledore may be the wisest wizard of the age, but that doesn't mean he can fix everything! Rupert is a smart man and would have the sense not to leave evidence of what he did."

"I know firsthand that he can't fix everything!" Snape snapped. "I told you all about Lily! See how that turned out?" Anger continued to blaze in his deep, black eyes, but his voice returned to the gentle tone he had grown accustom to using around Eleanor. "I shall go with you to see your mother." With a frustrated sigh, Snape stood up and led Eleanor to the door. "Go to dinner Ella; I'll see you later."

Uncomfortable and confused, Eleanor shoved her hands into her pockets and dragged herself upstairs to the Great Hall. Dinner was in full swing when she arrived. Quietly she slipped into a seat between Leigh and an attractive seventh year boy named Daniel. Daniel gave her a smile and engaged her in light conversation about classes and teachers as they ate the wonderful meal provided by the house elves.

Half an hour into the meal Leigh interrupted Daniel and Eleanor by asking, "How was your mother?"

"What's wrong with your mum?" Daniel questioned through a mouth of potatoes.

"She's in a magical coma because of an accident with experimental charms," Eleanor replied quickly with her made-up story. "And she's not doing too badly. She squeezed my hand today when I was talking to her. It was involuntary of course, but it's progress, I think."

"That's wonderful!" Leigh said brightly, ignoring the fact that Eleanor had just lied to Daniel. "Are you going to see her again soon?"

"Next weekend."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No Leigh." Then Eleanor lowered her voice where only Leigh could hear. "I have that covered. I'll tell you about it later."

"Well I hope your mum gets better," Daniel offered, prodding his way back into the conversation.

"Thanks Daniel. That's sweet."

He smiled widely before pulling her back into a happier conversation.

"He's so into you Elle," Leigh breathed, jumping onto Eleanor's bed in the dorm. "You two would be absolutely adorable! Unless…"

"Unless what?" Eleanor sat down next to Leigh and pulled out the only homework she had left from the week, Transfiguration.

"Unless you're interested in Professor Snape like Arianna told me."

"How much has she spread that rumor? It is NOT true. We've only been talking; he understands what I'm going through."

"She and Bee were joking about it with me today, but they aren't telling people other people about it. Speaking of telling people things, who is going with you to St. Mungo's?"

"Professor Snape. Don't give me that look; I just told you it wasn't like that. He's just escorting me to make sure that Rupert doesn't show up and do something dreadful."

"Well with that settled, do you want me to set you up with Daniel? It should be pretty easy."

Eleanor turned a deep shade of scarlet. "Don't meddle, Leigh! If it happens, it happens. Now can I finish this homework?"

"Fine. Oh, and Elle?"

"WHAT?" Eleanor looked up in an exasperated manner.

"I just thought you should know that if you did like Severus Snape, I'd approve. You'd be an interesting pair." The corners of Leigh's mouth turned up ever so slightly as Eleanor rolled her eyes. "You can work now."

"Finally."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Sorry this part took awhile…I had a bit of writer's block, and it was also the first part that I had edited. I want to thank my new beta Slytherin's_Silver_Dragon! She's pretty awesome, and I'm happy to have someone besides me to review and edit my stories. Enjoy this part!

Sunday dawned bright and sunny, not that the Slytherin girls knew that, down in their dungeon dorm. Maxi's daily workout alarm went off promptly at 6:00am causing all five girls to wake up. Maxi, of course, jumped out of bed and practically pranced to the bathroom to _apply makeup_ for her morning three-mile jog around the lake. The other four girls let out a groan in unison. Beatrice managed to roll over and fall immediately back to sleep, but the remaining three girls were not so fortunate. Arianna chose to pull herself out of bed and followed Maxi into the bathroom. Both girls slipped back out after fifteen minutes in running shorts and t-shirts and disappeared out the door of the dorm. Leigh and Eleanor, however, remained lying in their beds, staring up at the ceiling. Leigh began to count the stones above her bed, trying to ease herself back to sleep. Eleanor, on the other hand, immediately began to think about her mother and Rupert, despite really not wanting to reflect on it.

Why had her mother fallen for him? Why? Okay, so he had been charming to begin with. He brought Lena a different bouquet of flowers on every date; he popped up at her office at the Ministry just to say hello; he had brought Eleanor, who was eight when they had started dating, stuffed animals all the time; he just seemed to be the guy that Lena needed after Eleanor's father had died. As soon as Rupert popped the question, though, things began to change. He still gave gifts, but the attitude with which he gave them was possessive, angry, and cruel. If Eleanor and Lena did not absolutely _adore_ the gift, he became furious and would rage about how ungrateful they were. He would still pop in on Lena at work, but his visits would consist of him becoming increasingly jealous of each person that Lena spoke to that was not him. However, as Eleanor found herself more and more terrified of the man, Lena continued to insist that he was just under a great deal of stress because of his job as an Obliviator. A month before Eleanor left for her first year Hogwarts, Rupert and Lena married. That month before Hogwarts was quiet, and nothing horrible occurred; it was merely the calm before the storm.

Eleanor remembered how wonderful her first year at Hogwarts had been, how carefree. She had immediately fit into Slytherin house, despite being a bit kinder than the average Slytherin. All of the girls immediately adored Eleanor because she was Leigh's best friend; Leigh was incredibly popular and carried Eleanor to the top with her. The two were inseparable despite their different dispositions and helped each other through their first year; Leigh helped Eleanor make the right friends while Eleanor helped Leigh with her schoolwork. Neither of the girls wanted the year to end, but it had to.

At King's Cross Station, Eleanor was greeted by her battered mother. Lena was wearing a nasty black eye and, upon Eleanor's later inspection, several nasty bruises. Eleanor tried to ignore it and spent the drive home ranting about her year at Hogwarts. But once at home – it was hard to ignore.

A knock on the dormitory door pulled Eleanor out of her own thoughts. A glance at one of the clocks on the walls showed Eleanor that she had been lost in her memories for a full hour. Leigh had dozed back off, so Eleanor eased herself out of bed to open the door.

A doe-eyed first year girl stood in the hallway. "Professor Dumbledore ordered me to give you this note while I was on my way to breakfast." The girl handed Eleanor a sheet of folded parchment and immediately disappeared down the hallway of dorms.

Eleanor returned to her bed and unfolded the paper.

_Dear Miss Reynolds,_

_I would like to see you in my office promptly at 10:00am. I have several matters that we need to discuss._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Dumbledore_

_P.S. My _new_ favorite treat happens to be Ice Mice._

"Wha wuz it?" Leigh mumbled, sitting up in her bed and yawning.

"I just got a note from Professor Dumbledore," Eleanor told her friend, still a bit surprised. "He wants me to go speak with him. What could that be about?"

"I'm sure he wants to speak with you about your mother," Leigh responded, tugging her sheet and quilt up around her neck. "Why is it so bloody cold in this dorm?"

"Well we are under the lake, you know." Eleanor couldn't help but smirk; she reminded her friend of this fact at least twice a school year. "What is there to say about my mother? He has already offered me his condolences."

"He's concerned about you Elle, I think. He's a good headmaster because of his concern for his students."

"I wish he would just leave me alone." Eleanor let out a sigh. "I guess I'll find out soon exactly what he wants."

"It doesn't matter what he wants." Leigh motioned Eleanor over. "How about we play a game of Gobstones?"

The girls spent the next two and a half hours playing Gobstones and gossiping about the scandals of the Slytherin house as Beatrice slept a couple of beds over. At nine thirty, Eleanor slipped into a simple navy skirt and a white shirt and proceeded up to Dumbledore's office. After muttering the password, Ice Mice, to the gargoyle guarding the office, Eleanor walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Enter," Dumbledore called in a gentle and almost lazy tone.

Eleanor opened the door and slid into the room. "You wanted to speak with me sir?"

"Oh, Miss Reynolds, yes I did. Please, take a seat."

Eleanor immediately sat down in the chair across from Dumbledore's desk for what felt like the millionth time. "I feel like I've been here one too many times in the past few days," Eleanor said lightly, smiling slightly.

"I agree Miss Reynolds and under such miserable circumstances. Unfortunately, I've brought you here to further discuss your unpleasant circumstances." Dumbledore surveyed Eleanor over his fingertips, making her a bit uncomfortable. "I have been told that your stepfather made an appearance at the hospital yesterday."

Stiffening, Eleanor didn't say anything. She did not like where the conversation was going.

"And I was also told that your stepfather is the one who put your mother in her current position. Miss Reynolds, I wish that you had trusted me enough to tell me these things; I want to help you. I have alerted the Auror Department to keep an eye out for Rupert Austin; St. Mungo's has also been ordered to not allow him into the hospital."

Tears stung Eleanor's blue eyes, but she managed to choke out a "thank you," although she did not want to thank Dumbledore at all. Dumbledore studied her once more.

"Did Professor Snape tell you all of this?"

"As your Head of House, he felt that it was important to share this with me. He was also concerned for your welfare."

"Well, thank you," Eleanor choked out. "I'm going to go do some homework now." Before she totally lost it and before Dumbledore could say anything else, Eleanor raced out of his office.

Five minutes later, she exploded into Snape's office, not unlike the previous day; although this time, she was boiling with fury instead of simmering with fear.

"I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU!" she snapped before Snape had a chance to even look up. "After what Dumbledore did to you? I can't believe you would betray my trust like this! Well you can guarantee that I'm never going to bother you with my problems EVER AGAIN."

"Ella!" Snape exclaimed, a regretful expression filling his face.

It was too late; she was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Wow! A second part in two days! I hope you guys feel special! The next few chapters are going to be rather…sad. Just thought I would warn everyone about it now. I'd really appreciate some more reviews from you guys…they make me SUPER happy. Oh yes, and I want to thank my wonderful beta once again!

The next couple of months passed by in a whirl of classes, Hogsmeade weekends, and hospital visits. Since Eleanor was no longer speaking with Severus Snape, Leigh accompanied her to the hospital at least once every week. Lena's condition did not seem to be improving at all; fortunately, it did not seem to be getting any worse either. The bulletin board above her bed was overflowing with cards and pictures from work friends, family members, and several students who simply knew her as "Elle's mum." There was also a poster on the board that Eleanor desperately wanted to rip off every time she went to St. Mungo's: a wanted poster for Rupert Austin.

Pictures of Rupert appeared everywhere in those months. Despite pictures of him cropping up in every wizarding building, no one found him. It was as if he had apparated to another planet. Eleanor wished that was the case, but she knew he was still out there somewhere, biding his time and just waiting to do something else.

Snape tried to speak with Eleanor each day for the first few weeks, but she refused to even ask him questions about the potions they were making in class, no matter how difficult they were. He gave up trying within a month and became quiet and very sulky. Detentions were given more often, and house points were taken more frequently by Snape. His mood was even foul around the Slytherins, who he had favored heavily, the first couple of weeks of school.

"Thanks again for going to see Mum with me," Eleanor told Leigh as they stepped out of the fireplace and into Dumbledore's office on a Saturday morning in November after a quick visit to St. Mungo's before heading to Hogsmeade.

"Elle, you thank me every time we go, and I always tell you that it is NOT a big deal! I am your best friend, and I would expect the exact same from you if my mum was the one who was hurt."

Eleanor gave Dumbledore, who was studying his phoenix to the left of the fireplace, a nod of acknowledgement and thanks before leaving with Leigh. For some reason, Eleanor could not find the anger to hate Dumbledore, despite he being the reason for the "Rupert hunt;" of course, he had not completely betrayed her trust.

"Oh, by the way, Elle," Leigh started to say as she entered the Entrance Hall, "we are meeting Derrick and Daniel. Just thought you would want to know…"

"WHAT? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have put something nicer on!" Eleanor frantically fluffed her curls and pulled imaginary lint off of her cream sweater.

"Over here Leigh! Elle!" a deep voice called over the slight crowd that was still trying to get past Filch so that they could go to Hogsmeade for the day. Derrick waved the two girls over to Daniel and himself.

"Let's go Derrick," Leigh said quickly, dragging him away from Eleanor and Daniel.

Blushing, Eleanor turned to Daniel. "It looks like we have been set up."

"Yeah, about that…I kind of asked Leigh to do this for me."

"So is this a – a date?"

"It is if you want it to be."

"Well, I guess it could be a date. What is the worst thing that could happen? Actually, you know what? Let's not even think about what could go wrong." Grinning, Eleanor put her hands in her jeans' pockets. "Where to Romeo?"

"I was thinking Hogsmeade," he told her, smirking slightly.

"Very funny Daniel. You know what I meant."

"Honeydukes?"

"That works. I hope the candy this week is sweeter than you."

"Ouch, I am wounded, or I would be if that was not incredibly cheesy." Daniel smiled and headed out the front doors, Eleanor shaking her head and trailing out behind him.

Daniel was fun, but Elle knew after one day in Hogsmeade that there was no connection between them past the friendship level. Daniel seemed to sense that fact as well, and they somehow reached a mutual agreement just to be friends without saying a single word. Leigh and Derrick were slightly disappointed that their best friends were not as in love as they were, but they got over it quickly and spent Saturday evening snogging behind a tapestry in a hidden passageway.

Unfortunately, Eleanor's Saturday evening was going to consist of her first detention ever. On Wednesday, Eleanor had been pointedly ignoring Snape and had missed some instructions for an intricate and difficult healing potion. The missed instructions caused her cauldron to explode, sending a couple of people to the hospital wing for burns. Snape had really had no choice but to put her in detention because of her reckless behavior. So at 7:00pm, after a light dinner, Eleanor trudged down to the dungeons.

"You are going to extract mucus from flobberworms and put it into these vials, "Snape muttered, not bothering to look up from the stack of essays in front of him. "When you are done, you may leave."

"Yes sir," grumbled Eleanor in response to his instructions.

The silence suspended in the room was uncomfortable and suffocating. The only sounds present were the soft rustling of papers and the disgusting squelching sound of the flobberworms as Eleanor squeezed the mucus into bottles. It would have been difficult for anyone to guess that two months ago the silent pair had been baring their secrets to each other in the exact same room. Even Eleanor and Snape could hardly believe it at that moment.

After an hour, Eleanor plunked the bottles of mucus down onto Snape's desk and shoved the shriveled up flobberworms into a waste bin. She was just turning to leave when Snape's voice drifted up to her ears.

"Eleanor, this must stop. I am sorry every day that I betrayed your trust by talking to Dumbledore, but I just wanted to help you."

"Save it Snape," Eleanor snapped at him. "I am not interested in hearing your excuse for the eight millionth time." She turned around once more to leave, but by that time he had approached her and grabbed her by the arm.

"You cannot handle this on your own Ella." Snape's eyes pleaded with her to listen to him, to trust him again. "I know this the hard way; I learned in the most painful way imaginable that you have to accept help on occasion."

"I am _not_ you Severus Snape. My life is completely different than your life, and I _can_ handle my problems without your meddling. Stay out of my life, okay? You lost the chance to be my friend, so get over it and let me be."

"A good friend does not just 'get over' something like this," Snape insisted.

"Well then, I don't understand why you're having a problem getting over it. You are not a good friend."

Snape recoiled slightly, releasing her arm. Eleanor took her newly released arm and departed.

Falling asleep that night, Eleanor found herself regretting what she had said to Snape. There was no way she would give him the satisfaction of forgiveness, but she still felt bad. The words she used crossed the line. He may have messed up, but he really was just trying to help her. With these thoughts on her mind, she drifted into an unpleasant and nightmare-fraught sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hey guys! So sorry it took so long! I was out of town for the week…and had no internet access. It was very sad. So here you go!

"_Rosy! Let me go with you!" Eleanor begged her older sister._

"_I'm sorry Ella. I cannot take you to __Egypt__ with me. Cursebreaking is a dangerous job, so I just cannot have you hanging around the pyramids with me." Rosaline bent down so that her face was even with her petite, 12-year-old sister's face. "I know this is the first time I will not be living with you or right down the road, but you will be fine. You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, munchkin, and I have no doubt that you will be okay without me."_

"_But Rosy" –_

"_But nothing Ella. You are a good kid and can handle things yourself. Be strong for your big sister, Ella; you know I don't want to leave you, but I have to." Rosaline kissed Eleanor on the forehead. She picked up her beat-up duffle bag and grabbed a hold of her trunk. "I will see you over your Christmas break, and I promise to write to you every chance I get. You'll get sick of how many letters I send you once school starts back in a couple of months."_

_The sad and desperate look on Eleanor's face disappeared and was replaced by a weak smile. "Promise?"_

"_Yes, I swear I will write to you way too many times. Now give me the Floo Powder I know that you are hiding behind your back."_

"_Dammit."_

"_Ella! I know that I did not teach you that word; although, I did teach you others..." Despite her slightly nagging statement, Rosaline smiled and gently removed the Floo Powder from her sister. "Bye munchkin." With that, Rosaline Reynolds stepped into the fire and left._

"_I thought she would never leave," a husky male voice stated from the doorway of the living room._

_Trembling, Eleanor turned around to face her step-father. Her hand shot up to finger the silver locket that her father had given her three months before he had died. Rupert's cruel grey eyes had a malicious glint in them. His expression seemed to almost be one of someone starving for something. Eleanor knew what he craved, and it scared her more than anything else._

"_We can spend some lovely quality time together my dear," he drawled._

"_I do not want to spend time with you," Eleanor whispered, inching towards the door that would take her out into the family garden._

_SMACK! Rupert's hand struck her face with utterly cruel force. Eleanor let out a cry and fled out the back door as quickly as she could. She almost reached the gate, but Rupert was much faster than she was. He shoved her to the ground and slapped her again. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as he tugged at her clothes. Where were the nosy neighbors when she needed them? Where was her mother?_

Eleanor woke with a start, safe in the dormitory, between Leigh and Beatrice who both snored loudly. She felt her cheeks and discovered that the tears in the dream world had carried over into the real world. What hurt so much was that the nightmare had happened; in fact, the nightmare had happened too many times for Eleanor to count.

She climbed out of bed, despite it only being four in the morning. That nightmare always made Eleanor feel so dirty. A shower was what she needed.

The icy cold water rushed over all the nooks and crannies of Eleanor's trembling body. The water was calming and eased Eleanor into a false sense of security. The cold pierced her body, and it woke her up. It pushed the nightmare far from her mind. For a few moments in the cascading liquid, Eleanor thought about Severus Snape. She missed him; they had only been friends for a few days, but there had been such a connection between them. He had done what the water was doing for her on a small scale; he took on her pain and helped her to forget how much it hurt. Oh she missed him so much. But she was too stubborn. She just could not forgive him for telling Dumbledore the things she did not want anyone to know about. Maybe if he tried to speak to her again she would. Maybe.

After five more minutes of the acute coldness, Eleanor turned the water off, toweled off, and pulled on her clothes. Wrapping a scarf around her neck, Eleanor decided to head out into the grounds. It was still completely dark outside; however, the very early morning was clear, so stars were shining through, illuminating the grounds with their gentle glow. The air whipped her green cloak around her body and violently tugged at her scarf. The cold weather felt even better than the cold shower had. The lake shimmered with reflected starlight and drew Eleanor directly to it. Sighing, she crossed her arms and sat down at the water's edge. Her ears registered the sound of the Giant Squid swimming lazily through the water, bringing a smile to her face. The Giant Squid was most definitely one of the best things about Hogwarts. Lazily she shut her eyes and relaxed by the lapping waters. Several hours passed, and eventually Eleanor felt the rays of the sun brush against her face. Smiling and finally feeling a bit better, Eleanor opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and stared out over the waters. After about five minutes, an odd shape soared over the lake right at Eleanor. It took her a minute, but she soon recognized that it was an owl with a letter.

The cute Scops-owl fluttered to a halt at Eleanor's feet, hooting pleasantly as she took the letter. A gasp escaped her lips as the owl flew away, and she looked at the letter. She knew the handwriting. It was from Rupert.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**: The next part of the story is probably going to be the climax…which means there are going to be maybe five more parts after this one. I hope everyone is still enjoying the story and will stick it out to the end with me! I want to extend my gratitude to the lovely people who comment on my story, especially ravenclawblonde1428, hufflepuffbrunette247, and xoxoS.A.M; they're all so wonderful and comment on pretty much every chapter. Thanks to everyone who reads and/or reviews! I also want to extend more thanks to the most awesome and incredibly sweet beta I discovered!

"Pass the treacle, Leigh," Eleanor mumbled, lost in thought.

Leigh slid the plate towards Eleanor and gave her a once-over. "Where is your brain Elle? It certainly is not here."

"Hmm?"

"Wake-up Eleanor!" Leigh snipped, snapping her fingers in front of Eleanor's face. "What the hell is wrong with you? Did Professor Snape put you in detention again?"

"Yes, that's it," Eleanor replied. "Actually, I need to get there now." Standing up she added, "And I may pop down for some Butterbeer in Hogsmeade afterwards, so I will not be up to the dorm for quite awhile."

It looked for a moment like Leigh did not believe Eleanor, but the moment passed. "Alright Elle. I would support your sneaking out by accompanying you, but I put off my Charms homework again. Joy. See you later."

Eleanor flew down to Slytherin House before anyone else could catch her and pull her away from her intended pathway. She slipped into the dorm and began to throw things into her bag including her wand, a spare set of clothes, and her small pack of potions that she had gotten into the habit of keeping around when her mother married Rupert. There was no telling what she would need or could possibly use with what she was about to do. Before exiting the dorm, she hesitated by the desk in the corner that the girls shared. Her hands flew out, snatched up a piece of parchment and quill, and wrote a quick letter giving instructions about what she was about to do just in case she did not come back. In fact, as the moment approached for her to leave, she began to feel stronger and stronger that she was not coming back.

Her heart pounded. Each part of her body seemed to be trembling as she walked towards Snape's office; she was shaking so much, she could barely slide the letter beneath the door. When Eleanor had reached the end of the hallway, a voice stopped her.

"What is this Miss Reynolds?" Snape asked her coolly, holding up the folded parchment in one hand.

"Just – just read it later," Eleanor breathed, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What is it?" he asked once more, his tone sharpening slightly.

"Please, just read it later Severus. I really need you to do that for me, but please, don't read it now or ask me to talk about it. I have something I need to do Severus; trust me."

The sound of his name softened Snape's posture considerably. His body had been tense to match his tone, but his body relaxed when his first name rolled off Eleanor's tongue. In that single word, Eleanor had forgiven him and had made a totally 360; she was now requesting his help. Almost meekly, he nodded at her. "Okay."

She turned once more to leave but then stopped herself again and rushed back to Snape. "Thank you, and I'm sorry." She took his free hand, gave it a squeeze, and then raced away.

The sky poured out on Eleanor as she raced across the grounds of Hogwarts and down to the gate that would open into Hogsmeade. Her body had stopped trembling with her forgiveness of Severus Snape and had become completely numb to the bitter wind and rain that beat against her cloak and face. She mentally tried to calm herself as well, hoping that she could keep her head as still and stable as her body. It didn't seem likely, however. She could not stop thinking about the letter that she had received just that morning. She couldn't believe that she had received it just that morning, it felt like eons ago. The words penned by Rupert were on repeat in her mind.

_My dearest Eleanor,_

_Why ever did you run at St. Mungo's in September? I was greatly looking forward to spending time with you, but that was made impossible by the fact that you came accompanied on the rest of your visits. That is not even mentioning the fact that you spread a dreadful falsehood about me that required I use quite a bit of Polyjuice Potion in order to see Lena on a regular basis. You have made it very difficult for me to go out in general. Despite this, I have been fortunate enough to run into your charming sister Rosaline in Hogsmeade. We have been having an absolutely marvelous time together, and I figured that it would be in your best interests to join us as well. We never did spend time together away from your mother. I will be in Hogsmeade with Rosaline for the next six days; after that, Miss Rosy seems to feel like taking a trip with me to the continent._

_Hope to see you very soon Eleanor._

_Rupert_

Those words narrated Eleanor's whole trudge down to Hogsmeade. She had to go; Rosaline was her sister and had done nothing to deserve Rupert's wrath. Eleanor felt as if she had failed her mother; she was not about to fail her sister.

In truth, when Eleanor had become angry at Snape for getting Dumbledore involved in the matter with Rupert, she had never imagined that it could turn into this. She had direly underestimated the levels Rupert would sink to in order to get his way – or perhaps it was better to call it his revenge. Making Rupert a 'public enemy' had turned him into something even more dreadful than Eleanor had ever known. She was so scared, but she shoved that fear down and slipped into the Hog's Head, which she knew was normally frequented by Rupert.

"What can I get you love?" a stringy young man asked as she passed by the bar.

She shook her head. "Nothing at the moment, thank you." She would need her wits about her when Rupert showed up. That's when she saw Rosaline in a corner.

Her 26-year-old sister did not look a day older than when she had left England four years prior. However, Eleanor could see a few bruises on her face that could only be from Rupert. Tears of both sadness and happiness sprang to Eleanor's eyes at the sight of her sister; despite the situation, Eleanor could not help but be thrilled at seeing her. Rosaline had been very busy with her first four years of cursebreaking; a newbie like Rosaline was often given the most time consuming jobs. Despite this, it had surprised Eleanor considerably that her loving sister Rosy had not flown to the bedside of her mother.

Just as Eleanor began to approach Rosaline, her sister's eyes found her. They widened in surprise, and immediately she motioned for Eleanor to go away. Eleanor did not turn back; she was not turning away from her family ever again. Instead, she sprinted to her sister and hugged her tightly.

"Do not stay Ella!" Rosaline said immediately. "Rupert will be back any minute, and I just know he will hurt you! You should hear the dreadful things he says about you."

"I am not leaving you Rosy. We can just…leave. Dumbledore will help protect you."

Rosaline smiled sadly. "I wish it were that simple. Rupert, of course, has put a dreadfully complicated binding spell on me so that I may not leave Hogsmeade."

"How did he find you? And why didn't you come and see mum?"

A sigh fell from Rosaline's lips. "Well, I wanted to come see mum something awful as soon as I got Auntie's letter. It took me a good two weeks to manage to get some time off work, so I headed here as soon as I could. Unfortunately for me, I made the mistake of going to our house first. Rupert had been lurking around, hoping that either you or I would show up to get some of mum's things. He stunned me, and I have been stuck with him since the end of September."

"Oh dear!" Eleanor squeezed Rosaline's hands. "You poor thing; I'm so sorry you got pulled into all of this Rosaline! Why didn't Rupert try to lure me here before now?"

"Because Rupert was having too much fun with your enchanting sister," Rupert drawled, appearing next to the girls. The person only sounded like Rupert; he was someone different entirely, so he was clearly still using his stash of Polyjuice Potion. "So glad you could come Eleanor, darling. I have been just _dying_ to see you." His lips curled into a nasty grin, and Eleanor suddenly regretted coming very much.

**A/N Part 2:** My friend Jen had some issues with Rupert in this part. She asked me what his motive was. I'd just like to say that he really doesn't have one. He is completely deranged and evil. He might have a hint of mental illness, but mainly, he's just evil. He is furious about Eleanor ruining his reputation in the public eye and wants to ruin her now.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Here's the major chapter you guys! It's mainly dialogue…not too much description other than a brief bit of "action." I hope this isn't a disappointment. It isn't overly exciting…but my story is more about my character than a surprising, action-themed plotline. I would really, really like feedback for this chapter and the last one…I want to know if they were okay and such. So be lovely and review. Enjoy this chapter!

"Come on my dears," Rupert said smoothly, gently placing a hand on Eleanor's shoulder. "I fancy a walk in this lovely British weather."

Eleanor gulped as Rupert steered her out of the pub into the downpour; she shot a terrified glance at Rosaline who had no choice but to follow them because of the binding spell. The trio made their way away from the Hog's Head, towards the infamous Shrieking Shack. An evil smirk remained plastered on the face that wasn't really Rupert's as they came to a halt in front of the fence surrounding the supposedly most haunted building in all of Britain. After a few moments of standing in front of the terrifying house, Rupert prodded the two girls through an opening in the fence.

"Great place, isn't it ladies?" Rupert sneered as they trudged through the thick mud.

Eleanor could not help but shudder as they crossed through a large open window to get into the house. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and in the corners of the room they entered; dust resided on all the broken furniture and ripped drapes. It didn't appear to be haunted, but the place was absolutely disgusting. A spider fell onto Eleanor's shoulder as they approached a rickety pair of stairs; she screamed, and Rupert snickered cruelly.

"Shut up!" Rosaline snapped, overcome by anger. "Leave Ella alone."

A resounding smack echoed up the stairs as Rupert slapped Rosaline across the face. "Quiet Rosaline. I have heard more from you these past few months than I ever wanted to hear. I was planning on taking care of Eleanor first, but perhaps I will take care of you before her! That way I will be rid of you, and Eleanor can watch you suffer."

"Wh-what?" Eleanor gasped as they entered a semi-destroyed bedroom.

"Did you think we were just coming up to this slum for a chat?" As Rupert said this, his disguise began to fade. The features that Eleanor had come to fear were slowing appearing in the dim light provided by Rupert's wand. His grey eyes sparkled with malice as they peeked out from his shaggy black hair; his huge hands twitched slightly around his wand.

Surprising even herself, Eleanor whipped out her wand and pointed it at Rupert. "No! You will not hurt Rosy like you hurt Mum!"

Despite having a wand pointed at him, Rupert smirked again. "Well, you aren't as stupid as I thought you were. I'm glad to see that you thought to bring your wand. However, any harm that is done to me, will be done to your sister – oh ho! Got you there, didn't I? I worked very diligently on forming the perfect binding spell."

"Let her go, Rupert! I am the only person with whom you have a score to settle. I'm here now, so you don't need her anymore!" Tears of frustration were trickling down Eleanor's face; she just could not hold them in anymore.

"I can be a reasonable man; we can make a bargain. If you give me your wand, I will allow Rosaline to leave. She will be perfectly safe, but she will not be able to contact any wizard until she is a hundred miles away from us. Then, once she is outside of the hundred miles, she will not be able to return here for 24 hours because of a spell I will place on her before she leaves. I'll be quite done with you by then."

"How do I know that you won't break that bargain? Would you be willing to form an Unbreakable Vow?"

"Is that not a bit extreme?" he asked.

"I have learned not to take my chances with you. Rosy can perform the spell for us, and she can leave after that. Then I will be completely" – she shuddered – "at your mercy."

"NO!" Rosaline shouted. "I cannot agree to that Ella." She rushed over to her younger sister, pulled her close, and whispered to her sister, "I'm the one who is supposed to be the defender as the older sibling. I failed to do that when I left for my job, but I can defend you now by not allowing you to put yourself in further danger."

"If you stay, both of us will be hurt or even dead," Eleanor hissed back. "Please, just do this for me Rosy. I will be fine; I promise you. You told me once, that I am capable of handling myself, and now I have the chance to."

Lips trembling, Rosaline released Eleanor. "Fine. I will perform the Unbreakable Vow with you two."

"Here you go, Miss Rosy," Rupert drawled, handing over her wand. "Get on with it so that you can leave."

Ten minutes later, Rosaline was gone, and Eleanor and Rupert were standing silently in the room, eyeing each other. Without a warning, Rupert flicked his wand and let out a lazy "Crucio."

Screaming, Eleanor fell to the floor in horrible pain. Her limbs twitched involuntarily in every direction as Rupert let out a low laugh. With another flick of his wand, the pain stopped. She hardly had the chance to catch her breath before he hit her with the curse again. The pain was extensive, and she could find nothing at all to compare it to in her mind. However, after two more Crucios, Eleanor found the pain almost manageable. To Rupert's displeasure, she stopped screaming and sobbing and proudly remained silent as he tried to throw a stronger Crucio at her.

"Think you're tough my dear? Perhaps we should try something a little different…"

Rupert started to call out curse after curse, cutting Eleanor, throwing her against walls. Within a few minutes, Eleanor had the sense to run. She dodged a spell by ducking behind a dresser and then sprinted out the door. Obscenities spewed out of Rupert's mouth as he lumbered after her. Gasping for air, Eleanor practically threw herself down the steps to escape her deranged step-father. Tripping on the last step, she fell to the ground and released a cry of pain as she practically impaled her shoulder on a broken chair leg. Blood seeped through her cloak as she stood back up and darted into what appeared to have been a kitchen at some point. Quietly she ducked into a pantry and hid in the very back. She dug into her bag that was miraculously still slung across her body and found a potion for her shoulder. Her skin sizzled slightly when put in contact with the potion, but the nasty wound scabbed over much more easily than it would have for a muggle. Gripping her shoulder, she steadied her breathing and listened for the sound of Rupert approaching. His footsteps sounded as if they were rooms away. Perhaps she could manage to sneak out the kitchen window and make a run for the Three Broomsticks – Madame Rosmerta would help her. With extreme caution, she made her way back out of the closet and started to peel the boards away from the kitchen window.

"It is quite amazing how well the Sound Throwing Charm works," Rupert purred, causing Eleanor to jump three feet in the air. "Perhaps it is time for me to finish you off; I have had my fun."

Eleanor's short life suddenly began to flash before her eyes. Visions of her mother, Rosaline, and Leigh swirled around in her mind. Immediately, she was glad that she had somewhat made peace with Severus that night. With that thought, she also immediately found herself upset that she had ordered Severus not to read her letter until later – perhaps he could have saved her if he had read it then. She pushed the sad thought from her mind and focused on how her sister was safe, how much she loved her mother, and how much she was going to miss Leigh.

"Avada Ke" –

"DON'T YOU DARE!" a voice yelled. Severus. "STUPEFY!"

Rupert fell to the ground, and the immediate threat was gone.

Severus Snape raced over to Eleanor and enveloped her in his arms. "Ella – Oh Lord, Ella! Are you okay?"

"I am now," she whispered, before everything went black.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: There were several people who were concerned that Chapter 11 was the last chapter! Well, it wasn't…obviously…haha. I'm planning on going up to at least Chapter 15 plus an epilogue, so there are at least five more parts to go! I'm going to warn everyone that this part will be a bit…fluffy. After the last chapters, I believe poor Ella needs some fluffiness.

This part is now edited.

Eleanor awoke to a bright light. For a moment, she thought she had died; then she realized that a small child was shining a muggle torch in her face. Groaning, she attempted to push Dani Vector off of her.

"Mum! Mum! Eleanor is awake!" the six-year-old squealed, jumping off what appeared to be a bed.

Moaning, Eleanor blinked a few times and looked around the room, identifying it as a room at St. Mungo's. In a matter of moments, half a dozen people exploded into the room. Dani was at the head of the pack, dragging a tired looking Professor Vector and a bedraggled Leigh with her. Behind them followed Rosaline, Aunt Marianne, and to Eleanor's surprise, her mother.

"Mum!" Eleanor cried, trying to stand but collapsing back into her pillows. "How long have you been awake? How long have I been out?"

"Sit still darling," the very slender woman urged, sitting on the edge of her daughter's bed and pulling her into her arms. "I woke up just around the time you got in, which was a little over a week ago. Imagine my surprise to find that you were now a resident in the hospital as well! I was so very worried, even more so when Rosaline told me about Rupert."

"Where's Rupert now? Oh God! Did he get away?"

"He's in Azkaban where he belongs!" Aunt Marianne popped in, angrily shaking her head, causing her red curls to bounce uncontrollably. "Your Potions Master's testimony sent him there immediately. I believe he will be in Azkaban for the rest of his life."

"What a relief," Eleanor breathed. "Oh Mum! I'm so glad that you're better. Did you say that I've been asleep for over a week?"

"The combination of curses you experienced was nearly as bad as the single curse that Rupert performed on me. Fortunately Professor Snape had several potions on him that helped lighten the effects in the time it took to safely transport you to the Emergency Ward here at St. Mungo's. It turns out that Severus Snape is a very wonderful young man; we are so lucky that he came looking for you after Leigh came by to try to get you out of a detention that you did not have. I have no idea how he guessed to check the Shrieking Shack."

A blush crept up into Eleanor's cheeks; she had left a note warning Snape that she was meeting Rupert in Hogsmeade, but there was no need to tell her mother that. "Yes, very lucky," Eleanor agreed. "He is a wonderful teacher, and a fantastic Head of House."

Lena's lips gently brushed Eleanor's brow. "Dumbledore told me that you came to see me at least once a week, love. That means so much to me, especially since I had been a wretched mother by placing you in Rupert's path."

"I won't lie to you, mum; I was really angry at you for the longest time, but I got over it because I love you too much."

"We're going to be a better family, now, you, Rosy, Marianne, and me. Oh! Rosy! Tell Elle your news!"

A small smile played on Rosaline's slender lips. "I accepted a job over here; I am coming home!"

The wonderful conversation progressed like that for an hour. All six women chattered happily, glad to be safe and well. Little Dani sat in the corner, messing with the muggle torch that her mother had purchased for her entertainment in London. The simple item managed to miraculously keep her occupied for that hour. Just as her attention span was fading, a soft knock sounded on the door. A moment later, Professors Dumbledore and Snape entered the room.

"Hello my dear ladies," Dumbledore said, giving a friendly little bow to the group. "Severus and I wished to speak to Miss Reynolds – Eleanor, I mean – for a few minutes."

"Of course, Albus," Professor Vector said, standing up. "We're all hungry, so we'll head to the tea shop for awhile. Come on Lena; your daughter will be okay without you for a little while."

Reluctantly Lena eased herself off the bed, gave her daughter a smile, and followed the other women out of the room. Professor Dumbledore and Severus moved further into the room, standing at the edge of Eleanor's bed. Eleanor slowly sat up, glad that she was in a t-shirt instead of some sort of hospital gown.

"I'm glad to see that you are awake and well," Dumbledore said calmly and then continued with a bit of edge in his tone. "I hope that with Mr. Austin in Azkaban, you won't make any more incredibly poor decisions like your decision to go confront him."

Blushing, Eleanor stammered, "Of – Of course not sir. I know it was stupid, but I just had to help my sister. I would do anything for Rosy."

A solemn expression crossed Dumbledore's face. "I understand Miss Reynolds; in fact, I was just about to add that while your action was rather stupid, it was incredibly admirable. I am deeply proud of you for caring so much about your sister that you would consider her safety before your own."

"Thank you." Eleanor lowered her eyes and stared uncomfortably at her hands. She could sense that Dumbledore was thinking of a part of his past that he was not willing to share with her. She wondered what he had been through to make him proud of her.

Snape cleared his throat, causing Eleanor to look up at him. However, his eyes were not on her. His eyes were focused on Dumbledore. "Headmaster, may I speak to Miss Reynolds on my own?" It didn't really sound like a request to Eleanor; she was amazed and slightly amused at his audacity in the addressing of Dumbledore.

"Of course Severus, you were the one who found her. I think I will go join the ladies in the tearoom." Dumbledore gave Eleanor a nod and glided out.

Immediately Eleanor rushed into an apology accompanied by profuse thanking. He stood there, soaking it in, allowing her to say what she wanted.

"I was so stupid to be angry at you for trying to help me, and again, I'm sorry," Eleanor finished, looking up at him expectantly. "Well?"

"I missed speaking with you Ella," he whispered. "I missed everything about you. Then, you gave me that note, and I could not wait to read it. I am so glad that I read it after you left; you probably would not be here if I had listened to you."

"I'm glad you did too Severus, so glad. I wanted to speak to you before then, but I'm just so stubborn and I stay angry about things. Can we be friends again?"

"Of course, I never wanted to stop being your friend."

"Severus – did you ever think about us being more? Did it ever occur to you that maybe I could try and be half of what Lily was to you?"

"Yes, but it's not right. You know that. Six years really is a long way apart at this point in our lives. Not to mention that you really have not given dating anyone else a thought. I do not want to take over your love life when I will be the first serious relationship you have ever had; at sixteen you should be having light-hearted dates instead of spending your weekends talking about family problems with me. You need someone who you can sit back and have some fun with, some Quidditch jock who only thinks about Quaffles and what he is going to have for lunch." He sat down on the edge of her bed and brushed her hair behind her right ear. "I love you Ella, but please, let me be your friend and find someone else to be the love of your life."

"Alright, after I try this…once." Eleanor leaned into Snape and pressed her lips up against his. He almost pulled back immediately, but instead, he relaxed against her and found himself kissing her back. It was pleasant, but they both knew it wasn't right and drew away from each other in only a few seconds. "You're right," Eleanor noted. "Let's just stay friends. Forever, by the way…no matter what."

"Right," Snape agreed, his lips curling up into a smile. "Friends."

A/N: So I saw HP at midnight on Wednesday! LOVED IT! I thought it was quite easily the best movie so far. I am going to see it again tomorrow! I hope everyone else enjoyed it as well!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Alright everyone, this is the last narrative style part, excluding the epilogue. Parts 14 and 15 will be letters between Eleanor and Severus spanning the first six Harry Potter books. I will most likely split the years right down the middle for the two parts. I hope you enjoy this part; it's a bit choppy because it is tying up several elements of the story. Reviews would be wonderful!

After another day in her private room, Eleanor was moved into a public recovery ward with three other patients: an eight-year-old girl who had overcome spattergroit, a middle-aged woman who had been bitten by Mackled Malaclaw, and a Ravenclaw who hadn't been at Hogwarts all year because of a cursed object he had stumbled upon during a trip to wizarding Rome. The ward's healer, Athena, had told Eleanor that she could leave after another week of close observation. Meanwhile, Eleanor constantly had visits from all of her dorm mates, close family, and of course Severus Snape, the latter of which brought Eleanor her work each day so that she could keep up. Truthfully, she kind of wished that she didn't have to stay caught up; Transfiguration and Ancient Runes were much more difficult to learn without the help of teachers.

"Do you need some help?" the Ravenclaw asked Eleanor, who had begun to curse under her breath about Ancient Runes.

"That would be fabulous, actually," Eleanor answered, making room on her bed for the boy to sit down. "I'm Eleanor Reynolds, sixth year Slytherin."

"Theodosius Marks, seventh year Ravenclaw. Please, call me Theo." He shook her hand and looked down at her book. "Ancient Runes? Perfect. It's my favorite subject."

"Really? I have always found it ridiculously difficult. I took it on my sister Rosaline's recommendation; I'm still trying to figure out why I am taking NEWT level."

He grinned roguishly. "Well the fact that you are gave us a conversation starter."

"You say that like it's a good thing, Theo," Eleanor said monotonously. For a moment, Theo's face fell; then he realized Eleanor was joking when she couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh very funny," he said, flushing red. "I haven't exactly had a load of interactions with girls in the past few months. My flirting is a bit rusty."

"I think you're doing fine." Eleanor beamed at him. "Now, help me make sense of this dreadful translation!"

Severus Snape was the first to hear that Eleanor had fallen in love with Theodosius Marks a year and two months later on a surprisingly balmy January morning. The pair was seated on the floor of Snape's storage closet after having sorted a new shipment of ingredients.

"I told you that you would find yourself someone Ella," Severus told her. "But do you honestly expect me to believe that you have _just_ fallen in love with him?"

"Alright, I believe I loved him from the very beginning. He was just _right_. Do you know what I mean?"

"I understand, yes. He seems right for you, as well. I do hope that things turn out perfectly for you, Ella. You really deserve it."

"That means a whole lot to me, Severus. I value your approval more than you could imagine." She hugged him. "Speaking of approval, what do you think of my new hair? Is it too short?" Eleanor ran a hand through her curly bob. (A/N: Think Amy Adams in _Night at the Museum_.)

A pinched expression replaced the smile that was generally on Snape's face when he was with Eleanor. "I think that is a better question for Leigh or Professor Vector."

"I want your opinion."

"I do like it. It is very different." He fingered one of the curls. "You no longer look like Lily. Do not give me that look Eleanor. It is a good thing; I like to keep you and Lily separate. Lily is my past; hopefully, you will be here for my future."

"That's just a bit cheesy. Don't worry though; no matter how cheesy you get, I will always be part of your life. You can count on that."

"Seven NEWTs Theo! Can you believe it?" Eleanor threw her arms around her boyfriend's neck and hugged him tightly. "I can get any job I want, any job at all!"

Theo lifted her off her feet and spun her in circles around the small living room of his London flat. "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! However" – he sat her down on the couch – "I can think of something even more wonderful."

"Something better than having three job offers already without sending a single resume? " Eleanor asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"I think so." With no more words, Theo dropped down on one knee and whipped a small box out of his robes. Opening it, he whispered, "Will you marry me, Eleanor? There is no one else out there for me. I knew from the moment you entered that ward in St. Mungo's a year and half ago that you were it." He paused. "Okay, maybe not at that moment, but it wasn't long after."

Tears streamed down Eleanor's face as she looked at the gorgeous emerald and diamond engagement ring. Thoughts rushed through her mind faster than a Nimbus broomstick. Was she ready? Was this really what she wanted? Removing her eyes from the ring, she looked at Theo, and immediately all of her doubts virtually went poof. One look at Theo and she just knew it was right. "Yes, Theo. Absolutely."

"Would Dad like him?" Eleanor asked her mother several days later as they stood in front of Romulus Reynolds' grave for the first time in several years.

"I believe so," Lena said quietly, bending down and placing a bouquet of deep red roses next to the headstone. "He would like that Theo is going to be an Auror; your dad loved his job and would have loved to see you marry someone doing the same thing."

"But it killed him, Mum, being an Auror killed him."

"The only thing he would regret about dying a brave death would be not being able to see you and Rosy grow up. He went the way he wanted to."

"What if what happened to dad happens to Theo?" Eleanor breathed, offering up her worst fear to the world.

"You can't think like that, Elle; it will destroy you. I allowed that kind of mindset to settle in my head when Romulus was killed and look what happened. You are going to be much better off just living life one step at a time. I mean, yes, you need to look to the future to an extent…but you will be so much happier if you just live in the moment. Right now, all you need to worry about is what type of wedding dress will look best on you and which one of your wonderful job offers you are going to accept."

"Thanks Mum." Eleanor placed her own bouquet of white lilies on top of the grave. "How are things with Gerry?"

The smile that blossomed on Lena's face was one that Eleanor hadn't seen in ages. "Oh he's so marvelous. He's the total antithesis of Rupert; he adores my friends and cannot wait to meet you. In fact, would you like to bring Theo over for dinner tonight? We could have a little celebration for your engagement, and you could give me your take on Gerry."

"Sounds good. Oh, and mum?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't have to worry about which job I'm going to accept. I've decided to take the job with the International Organization for Wizarding Archaeology. The pay is fantastic, and the job sounds incredibly fascinating."

"But won't you have to move abroad?"

"The job is officially located here, but I will travel a lot on digs."

"And it's what you want?"

"It's exactly what I want."

A/N: I have part 14 done…it will be up tomorrow before I go to see HBP for the third time!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Here is the next bit! Only two more chapters to go!  Please tell me what you think about this chapter because it is so different from the others!

**Seven ****Years Later**

**Year One**

_September 13__th__, 1991_

_Dear Ella,_

_I hope you and Theo are doing well in Pompeii; it sounds like an interesting dig from what you've told me so far. I miss you more than you could imagine. Lily's son, Harry, is here at Hogwarts now. He seems to be just as dreadful as his father. The only thing I see that reminds of Lily is the eyes, those green eyes. I wish you could meet me in Hogsmeade for a drink so that we could speak face-to-face, but I understand that you are busy. Write back and tell me more about what you are doing in order to take my mind off that dreadful Potter boy._

_Your friend,_

_Severus_

_September 21__st__, 1991_

_Dear Severus,_

_I'm glad to hear from you. I absolutely love it here; Theo isn't so keen on it because he dislikes the way the Italian Ministry of Magic handles the Auror department. My work on the dig should be over in just a few weeks, so I'll be able to have that drink with you in Hogsmeade pretty soon._

_Perhaps Harry will grow on you. I highly doubt he could be the spitting image of his father; some of Lily's goodness is bound to secrete through the gene pool, right? Keep me posted on Hogwarts; I quite enjoy hearing all of your stories, especially the ones about the Weasley twins._

_My work on the dig has been fascinating; the magical objects found among the bodies at __Pompeii__ are quite abundant. I discovered a working wand made of Elder wood yesterday, but a superstitious worker "accidentally" stepped on it. I fired them on the spot, of course! I found some gorgeous muggle jewelry that I gave to a group of muggles working on a dig nearby. They couldn't comprehend why exactly I gave them my incredibly valuable find. I just smiled at them, returned to my corner of the dig, and promptly found several very important bits of wizarding history that I really shouldn't discuss in this owl._

_I wish I had more time to write at the moment, but Theo is taking me out to dinner at a place he discovered this morning since he had an off day. I'll write again soon._

_Lots of Love,_

_Eleanor_

**Year Two**

_October 20__th__, 1992_

_Dear Severus,_

_I'm leaving the dig in __Egypt__ early. Why? I'm pregnant. (About three months pregnant, to be exact.)_

_See you soon,_

_Ella_

_November 16__th__, 1992_

_Dear Ella,_

_Thank you for meeting me at the Hog's Head. It was good to see you; our visits have become increasingly rare. Perhaps with your upcoming baby, you will slow down all of your traveling just a bit. No matter what, I know that you will be a wonderful mother. You have grown to be responsible and compassionate._

_Speaking of babies, Professor Vector keeps showing me pictures of her new granddaughter; I absolutely loathe the fact that Leigh and Derrick are so fertile. If I have to see one more picture from Vector of her three grandchildren, I will learn to speak Parseltongue so that I can set the __basilisk__ on her. (I wouldn't repeat that threat to anyone; it's a very sensitive topic at the moment because of the second attack on Colin Creevey. There are murmurs that Potter is the heir of Slytherin because he can speak Parseltongue. It's ridiculous, really. He is an absolute git, but he is not the heir of Slytherin.)_

_Speaking of petrifying people, I wish Lockhart would be next. Please do not tell me that you adore him like the rest of the women._

_Seriously frustrated,_

_Severus_

_December 7__th__, 1992_

_Dear Severus,_

_Don't worry…I hate __Gilderoy Lockhart__. _

_I apologize, writing back to you so late, but things have been a bit hectic. Theo and I sold our miniscule flat in the middle of __London__ and have purchased a surprisingly large three-bedroom townhouse on the edge of the city. It is so lovely, and I have already decorated the nursery. Theo and I discovered the day after I met you that it will be a little girl, so the room is pink and decorated with dragonflies and butterflies. I know that you aren't fond of baby talk and such, but I would love for you to come see the room over __Christmas__. I have said it before, your approval means a lot to me._

_Hoping to see you soon,_

_Ella_

_December 19__th__, 1992_

_Eleanor – _

_I wish that I could come, truly. However, as you might have heard, a second student and a ghost have been petrified. The Headmaster wants the majority of the teachers to remain at the school for the safety of the students remaining._

_Deeply sorry,_

_Severus_

_April 28__th__, 1993_

_Dear Severus,_

_Eleanor asked for me to write this letter to you as she is currently busy feeding our new baby girl. She has named our gorgeous child Lena Eileen, which she says is after her mother and your mother. I would be incredibly jealous if my mother wasn't horribly named Astarte Atropos. We both expect to see you at St. Mungo's before we leave, especially since Lena Eileen is partially named for your mother. If you don't show up, I know Elle will be devastated, and I will have to resort to killing you._

_All the best,_

_Theodosius_

**Year Three**

_August 2__nd__, 1993_

_Dear Severus,_

_I am missing work terribly once more. Who knew that staying at home each day would be so exhausting and less desirable than sweating under the scorching sun at a difficult dig? Don't get me wrong – I love being a mother and spending hours at a time holding little Lele. I just wish she slept more. Would it be wrong to place a sleeping spell on my child? Kidding…well, not completely._

_Theo told me that the Ministry intends to put dementors around Hogwarts because of Sirius Black's escape. I don't feel like it's necessary; personally, I think dementors have to be a thousand times worse than a slightly mad, escaped convict. Theo rolls his eyes every time I go on a rant about it; I don't appreciate it, but I guess he knows better because he deals with dementors much more often than I do. I'm sending you some chocolates with this owl because Theo told me chocolate helps to diminish the dreariness brought on by dementors._

_Oh shit, the cat just decided to use Lele's mobile as a cat toy and is now tangled up in it…_

_Slightly frazzled,_

_Ella_

_September 6__th__, 1993_

_Dear Eleanor,_

_Do you know how frustrating it is to watch a previous enemy take the job you want and then have to turn around and make Wolfsbane potions for him? What's worse is that __Remus Lupin__ is so very cordial about everything, as if he did not stand by for seven years at Hogwarts while his two best friends tortured me. _

_I adore the picture you sent me of Lele and yourself at the Holyhead Harpies game; I believe you are turning me into a bit of a softie, as I just hated baby pictures with a passion last year. Why don't you bring her up for a game here? Both Professor Vector and I would love to see Lele again, and I guess we want to see you as well. Gryffindor versus Slytherin should be the first match of the season. However, our seeker, __Draco Malfoy__, has been injured by a hippogriff in a particularly dangerous Care of Magical Creatures lesson, so I believe Gryffindor may play someone else._

_Hoping you will come,_

_Severus_

_October 7__th__, 1993_

_Dearest Ella,_

_I am so, so sorry about the dementors showing up at the match. The Headmaster is absolutely furious if that makes you feel any better. Potter survived his nasty fall, unfortunately. Although, I assume wishing that the boy would die goes against my bargain with the Headmaster to watch over him. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I had never met Lily – or if I had never made the decision to join the Death Eaters._

_I heard from Professor Vector that you are relocating to __Romania__ for the next six months. Why didn't you tell me? I hope you enjoy it…but do not enjoy it too much because I want you to come back._

_Sincerely,_

_Severus_

_October 29__th__, 1993_

_Dear Severus,_

_I am sure by now you have heard about the vampire uprising in __Transylvania__ (although with how much media time __Sirius Black__ is getting, perhaps not). I didn't tell you about Romania because I thought you would worry about me. Theo was actually the one relocating to assist the Romanian Aurors with the vampire problem; not long after, I was offered the opportunity to explore several ancient castles that have great vampire and/or wizard significance. It is dangerous, but I really wanted the opportunity. So far we have been okay. I hope you'll forgive me for not telling you at first; you just have the tendency to worry about me. Although, I am quite glad you worried about me so much back when we first met._

_Romania is a bit lonely even though I have Theo and Lele, who I carry around on my back to most of my expeditions in the castles. I miss you a lot, and I really miss Leigh who is pregnant with child number four, as you very well know because of Septima Vector. I miss my mum and Gerry. (I'm so glad mum is married to him now; otherwise, she probably would have followed me here, and I don't miss her THAT much.) Please, if you see my darling godchildren Ares, Seraphim, and Mimi, give them my love because they aren't old enough to read my letters for themselves._

_And here's some love for you,_

_Ella_

_June 8__th__, 1994_

_Dear Eleanor,_

_As soon as you get back from Romania – which has to be soon, right? It's been well over six months – I really need to speak to you in person. I just…cannot express how angry and frustrated I am in this letter. Please, let's meet at The Hog's Head as soon as possible. I need someone to talk to. It has been a difficult year without you._

_Love,_

_Severus_


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Here's the last "official" part of my story! The epilogue should be up within a week! Thank you so much for sticking with this story this far!!! (And thanks to my beta!)

**Year Four**

_July 30__th__, 1994_

_Dear Severus,_

_Thank you for trusting me enough to speak so openly. I feel awful for you; it must be truly dreadful to have an Order of Merlin that close in front of you only to be snatched away. But anyway, I don't want to dwell any longer on such a painful topic._

_Lele seemed to like you quite a bit, which is rather surprising because you are quiet an intimidating person. Although, I have never seen you treat someone with more kindness. Even with me you are often short-tempered! She keeps toddling around and chattering ever since we had lunch with you. The only words I can really make out, though, are 'Sev' and 'Potions.' (Potions actually sounds more like Poo-shuns…but what else could she be talking about?) You obviously made quite an impression on her._

_I have decided to stay near home for awhile. Theo likes working here the best out of the places we have been, and I really would like to spend more time making a home for Lele. Constantly traveling around can't be too healthy for a small child. We have coordinated our work schedules so that we don't have to hire a nanny. Theo is working six to one while I'm working from three to ten; hopefully this will help our kid and not damage our marriage. It shouldn't last more than a few years because I am planning on tutoring Lele for a year when she turns four (so I'll be taking a year off) and then sending her to school with muggles. I think it is best for Lele to learn to deal with non-magical folk._

_I hope this year is better for you Severus. Don't hesitate to send me an owl if you need me to drop by._

_Lots and lots of love,_

_Eleanor_

_August 31__st__, 1994_

_Dear Ella,_

_Have I mentioned how much happier I am to have you in a position where you can meet me every week for a cup of tea? For some reason I've been thinking more and more about Lily recently…and it's…been difficult. Having your support means the world to me Ella. I hope that I do not go on too much about Lily all the time; I hate to dump it all on you, but you are the only person I have._

_Anyway, have you heard about what is going on at Hogwarts this year from Theo yet? The Headmaster has decided to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament. I believe we will be importing several dragons for the first task. I would love you forever if you would come to see it._

_Hopeful,_

_Severus_

_September 3__rd__, 1994_

_Dear Severus,_

_I already love you forever. I'll come to see it if you promise to meet me at The Three Broomsticks on the first Hogsmeade weekend of Hogwarts term._

_See you soon,_

_Eleanor_

_P.S. Don't worry; I don't mind listening to you talk about Lily. I understand. Just know that Lily talk means I can rant about Theo and his faults (which thankfully aren't too many)._

_October 31__st__, 1994_

_Dear Ella,_

_Well Potter has gotten himself in trouble once more. Somehow he has been entered into the Triwizard Tournament. The Headmaster has asked me to keep an eye on Karkaroff since he seems to be the only suspect at the moment. I do not have any faith in it being him, but I do what the Headmaster tells me to. I am so tired of this. It can only get worse._

_Sincerely, _

_Severus _

_June 25__th__, 1995_

_Dear Ella,_

_Oh God Ella. Whatever the Daily Prophet says, the Dark Lord is back. My life is about to get a lot more difficult. I cannot say anymore. I do not dare send this letter with an owl for fear that it falls into the wrong hands, so I will send it through to your fireplace._

_Loving you and wishing I could tell you everything,_

_Severus_

**Year Five**

_August 13__th__, 1995_

_Dear Severus,_

_I saw today in the Prophet that Harry Potter was not expelled from Hogwarts. (Whoever wrote the article seemed to rather dislike Potter…actually, it seems the whole paper has turned on Potter.) I assume this is a good thing since the Dark Lord is back, and the safest place for Potter to be is at Hogwarts. Even you must agree that it is easier to protect the boy if he is inside the walls of Hogwarts._

_Lele talks about you all the time; she misses seeing you. I miss seeing you. Theo doesn't miss you, however; I believe he is often jealous of how friendly we are. He sees that I am worried, though, and seems to be trying everything to make me happy. He even took me to Flourish and Blotts the other day and told me to buy as many books as I wanted. (What a wonderful man my husband is!)_

_I'm worried Severus. I haven't had a letter from you since the one in June. Please write to me, even if it is just to tell me that I'm ridiculous and should mind my own business._

_Your very concerned friend,_

_Ella_

_August 18__th__, 1995_

_Eleanor – _

_You are ridiculous and should mind your own business._

_Love,_

_Severus_

_August 21__st__, 1995_

_Snape:_

_You are not the least bit amusing. Don't make me come up there and show you just how nasty of a Bat-Bogey Curse I can produce._

_Your now pissed off friend,_

_Eleanor_

_September 14__th__, 1995_

_Dear Eleanor,_

_Dolores Umbridge is indeed one of the most annoying creatures on this planet. I am sure you have heard about how she has been named "Hogwarts High Inquisitor." Well during the past week she has been visiting classes to judge our teaching skills. Why should that woman, who cannot teach, be able to judge if we are proper teachers?_

_Thank you for the new picture of Lele; she looks so much like you. I would come see you both in person, but Dumbledore has me rather busy. Please keep me posted on how you are and what Lele is learning to do._

_Missing you just a bit,_

_Severus_

_December 25__th__, 1995_

_Dear Severus,_

_I hope you have an okay holiday without me. Promise me you'll come next year; you must. Lele made you this Christmas card with the finger-paint set she got from Santa Claus this morning. I'm also including a copy of a picture we took with the Santa at Harrod's; it's a muggle picture, so don't expect it to move._

_Happy Christmas!_

_Ella_

_March 31__st__, 1996_

_Dear Ella,_

_The Potter boy saw my worst memory in the Pensieve before our Occlumency lesson. I have dismissed him from the lessons permanently. I cannot bear to look at him when he knows that, even though he has no idea what the memory really means._

_Life just seems to be growing darker and darker. Please send some of your light stories about Lele my way._

_Severus_

_June 17__th__, 1996_

_Dear Severus,_

_I'm so, so worried. With the Dark Lord out in the open, life can only get worse for everyone._

_I know you really can't tell me what's going on with you. But know, I'm not stupid, and I know you're stuck in the middle of this war. I also know that you are really a decent person underneath all of your sarcasm and bitterness. You'll make the right decision, whatever that decision may be. I wish you the best of luck and send you so much love. Keep me posted with what you can._

_Your dearest friend,_

_Eleanor_

**Year Six**

_July 5__th__, 1996_

_Dear Ella,_

_I am sorry to say that our letters are going to become more and more infrequent. I have a very daunting task that will take up much of my time. _

_Sorry,_

_Severus_

_December 12__th__, 1996_

_Dear Ella,_

_May I still come for Christmas? I feel like if I do not take the opportunity now to see you, that I will not have the chance to see you for quite a long time. It would mean a great deal to me to be able to come for Christmas._

_Your friend,_

_Severus_

_December 16__th__, 1996_

_Severus,_

_Of course you are still welcome to come for Christmas! I'll ignore your dismal statements and instead will get to setting up our guest bedroom for you. Show up whenever you wish to and stay as long as you like._

_Eagerly awaiting your arrival,_

_Ella_

_December 30__th__, 1996_

_Ella – _

_Thank you so much for Christmas. It meant so much. I'm sorry I left this morning before you woke up, but I had a meeting I could not miss._

_Severus_

_June 1__st__, 1997_

_Meet me at The Hog's Head on June 7__th__ at 8 o'clock PM. It's important, I promise._

_Severus_

Eleanor walked into the pub just a few minutes past eight to find her dearest friend sitting in the back waiting for her. She could not help but note how much older he looked since Christmas. Carefully, she slipped into the booth with one hand on the table and one on her stomach.

"Hello Severus," she said softly, giving him her kindest smile.

"Thank you for coming Ella," he replied slowly. "This is a hard meeting for me."

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.

He sighed. "I believe that this will be perhaps the last time you will see me for quite awhile, if not forever."

"Don't speak like that!" she snapped at him. "I am sure whatever is going on will turn out okay."

"No Eleanor, it won't," he snapped right back at her. Her face fell, and immediately he reached across the table and took her hand in a comforting gesture. "I can't lie to you any longer," he said delicately, "so I am going to tell you a little more about my situation. _Muffliato._" Snape discreetly flicked his wand. Despite the use of the spell, he lowered his voice. "As clever as you are, I am sure that you have realized that I am playing the part of a double agent, pulled between the Headmaster and the Dark Lord. This cannot last forever. I know that and so does the Headmaster. In the near future, things will most likely happen that you will not understand and will find hard to believe. No matter what happens, please do not think ill of me. I cannot explain it all to you now, but you will know eventually." He pulled a key out of his robes. "Keep this key, Ella. It is a key to my desk drawer in Spinner's End. When I die – please don't cry Ella – take this key and go to my house. There will be a letter that I will add onto as long as I can. When I feel it necessary, I will put the letter in the drawer and only that key will be able to unlock it. It should explain everything."

Despite Snape telling her not to, Eleanor was crying quietly. Tears slipped down her rosy cheeks and dripped onto her elegant green and blue robes. "I don't know what I'll do without you Severus. We've had an odd friendship form through our mutual sufferings, but this friendship has been the greatest comfort I have ever known. I mean, I owe my life to you."

"You act like me saving your life was some sort of sacrifice on my part." Severus observed his friend for a moment and then continued. "Ella, I would have died myself if I had not saved you from Rupert all those years ago. You are the only person besides Lily Evans who has ever treated me as a true friend, and I needed that."

"I needed you too Severus."

He paused again as his eyes fell to the table. "Will you promise me that you will never doubt my good side?"

"But why? What could you possibly do that would lead me to hate you?" She squeezed his hand tightly in hers.

"Just promise me." He looked back up and met her eyes.

"I promise." She sighed and accepted the handkerchief that Severus handed her.

"Ella?"

"What?" She stopped dabbing at her eyes for the moment.

"Is there – is there something you wanted to tell me?"

Eleanor's smile slowly spread back across her face. "You know me too well. I'm pregnant again. I found out just before I came; I haven't even told Theo yet."

"That's wonderful," he said although his tone had a tinge of sadness to it.

Eleanor hesitated and then said, "Theo has decided that we should go back to Italy for awhile. He thinks it will be safer."

"I have to agree with your husband. You love Italy, and it will most definitely be safer. I believe you should go." Severus stood up. "And I believe that you should get home and tell Theodosius about your condition." Eleanor stood as well and offered Severus his handkerchief. He shook his head and waved it away. "Keep it dear. One day it will be yours anyway."

"What?"

"I have left you all of my things in my will, not that that amounts to much."

"Look, don't say anything else depressing Severus," Eleanor insisted. "If this really is the last time we are going to see each other, I don't want to discuss anymore sad things. Just tell me how much you love me and will miss me."

"Ella, you have no idea how much I really do love you." Without warning, he enveloped her in his arms. "You are the most wonderful friend I could ever have asked for."

"You too Severus, you too." Her lips brushed up against his cheek in the softest of kisses. "We'll see each other again someday. One day, you'll be able to listen to all my complaints again."

"I welcome that day." Severus smiled. "I will always want to listen to you."

A/N: Hey guys, a new project was just brought to my attention, and I thought it was a great idea. Yoshino in the moonlight has started a forum for fanworks in general, and it's off to a really great start, I think. The website is: fanbbs (dot) net. Check it out!


	16. Epilogue

A/N: Here it is…the final part.

When word spread that Severus Snape had killed Albus Dumbledore, Eleanor trusted him. When Severus Snape was slandered for taking the post of Headmaster of Hogwarts, Eleanor sent him a single note of congratulations and then turned all of her attentions towards teaching her four-year-old to read. When rumors managed to circulate out to Italy that Severus Snape was Lord Voldemort's most trusted advisor, Eleanor dismissed the rumors but promptly went into labor. She named the boy Erik Romulus and devoted all of her time to the child and to Lele in hopes of not thinking about Snape.

On a particularly humid morning, Eleanor was sitting in the garden with baby Erik in her lap while Lele chased their cat around. Just as Eleanor was chastising her daughter for turning the cat's tail blue, Theo burst through the French doors and into the garden.

"Theodosius, could you tell your" –

"Elle! Voldemort is done!" Theo interrupted. A smile of pure joy exploded onto his face and spread all the way to his rich brown eyes.

"Wh-what?" Eleanor gasped, slowly standing and hoisting Erik onto her slender hip. "Did you say what I think you just said?"

"He's dead. We can go home."

Eleanor let out a little squeal and threw her spare arm around Theo's neck.

"Mamma!" Lele exclaimed. "What's going on?"

Eleanor released Theo, handed him Erik, and pulled Lele up into her arms. "Do you remember how we used to see Grandma all the time last year?" Lele nodded. "Well sweetie, we're going to move back to London because it is safe there now. There was a big scary man that made it difficult to live near Grandma, but now we can!"

"And Severus? We can see Severus again?" Her whole face glowed.

"I think so baby…"

"Elle," Theo started, "that's what I was going to tell you next."

Immediately Eleanor knew what was coming. Part of her knew all along that she would never see her friend again. Her whole body trembled as Theo delivered the words that brought part of the world crashing down around her. All she could do was sob, and Lele – either frightened by her mother's sobs or actually understanding that she would never see her mother's friend again – started to cry as well.

"He died a hero, Eleanor," Theo practically whispered, stroking her back. It was a couple of hours after Theodosius had broken the news to his wife. They had started packing their things, but Eleanor had dissolved into tears once more.

"I know, I know. It just doesn't make it hurt any less! I always knew he would end up doing the right thing…"

"As you know, I wasn't his biggest fan" –

"That's an understatement."

"But I am glad to see that he turned out to be the brave and decent man you made him out to be."

"Thank you for saying that, Theo." She smiled through her tears. Motioning the boxes around the small master bedroom, Eleanor asked, "Would you keep working on this? There's something I need to do."

"Does it involve Snape?"

"It does. He told me before that he would leave something for me if anything happened to him; I have to go get it. I need the closure that it should bring."

"Go. I'll make sure that our room isn't devoured by boxes and that Lele and Erik don't starve."

"Thank you."

"Just go."

Several moments later Eleanor stepped out of the fireplace and into the living room of Spinner's End. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in everything that had once belonged to her friend. It appeared as if the room had not been heavily used in quite some time, and Eleanor realized that it probably hadn't been. Snape had been at Hogwarts and with the Death Eaters for the majority of the last year.

The whole house was relatively small and sparse, so it did not take Eleanor long to find a tiny study that housed a worn looking desk. The desk was simply made and crafted from dark cherry wood. Slowly she lowered herself into the desk chair and took a moment to just stare at the desk she was about to open. What words would she find waiting for her? The key that Severus had given her rested heavily underneath her shirt on the chain that she had taken to wearing it on. Taking a deep breath, she removed it and slipped the key into the top drawer's lock. The key and lock shimmered for a moment, and then a light click signaled to Eleanor that the desk had been unlocked. Breathlessly she yanked it open and stared down in it. Only four items rested inside.

The very first thing she pulled out was a picture that she hadn't ever realized had been taken. Clearly Theo had taken the picture and sent it to Severus as some form of peace offering. It was a wonderful picture of Severus with Eleanor who was holding a newborn Lele at the hospital, long before she was dubbed Lele. Eleanor glowed with pride in the picture, and her movements included gently patting her baby and switching glances between the camera, Lele, and Severus. Severus in the picture only had eyes for Eleanor; he didn't even look at the camera.

Next a will came out of the drawer; it was just as Severus said: Eleanor had inherited everything. She tucked the will and the picture down into her purse. The next item that Eleanor pulled out of the drawer brought tears to her eyes. It was the note she had left for Severus before she had left to meet Rupert. It was a lot shorter than Eleanor recalled.

_Dear Severus,_

_I am so sorry for how I have treated you. When I said you weren't a good friend, I was lashing out in anger and didn't mean it at all. You are the most wonderful friend I have ever had and tried to do what was best for me when I wanted to hear nothing of it._

_I have decided to go meet Rupert down in Hogsmeade because he has Rosy. I did nothing to stop him from hurting my mother in the past; I have no intention of letting him hurt a hair on Rosy's head. You are the only person I am telling. When you choose to open this letter, hopefully I will be okay and back in Hogwarts. If not, please come find me. I need you._

_A million apologies,_

_Ella_

_P.S. I really, really want to be your friend. I love you._

"I can't believe he saved this for 15 years," Eleanor whispered to herself.

Finally she removed the letter that he had promised to leave her. The paper easily unfolded as if it had unfolded many times before or if it had been unfolded very recently. She touched the first words (_Dearest Ella_) tenderly before reading the last words he had written to her.

_May 1__st__, 1998_

_Dearest Ella,_

_Surprisingly I did not start writing this letter until today. It was reckless…I could have died any day and left you without the words of explanation I promised you. For some reason, I could not bring myself to sit down and write everything out on paper, but today, I knew I had to. Undoubtedly, at some point you will hear all about how the Dark Lord created horcruxes, six intentionally and one unintentionally. Just moments ago, he discovered that Harry Potter was out destroying his key to survival. He has left to check all of his hiding places, but I feel that all but the horcrux he made of his snake and the unintentional horcrux he created are ruined. The unintentional horcrux is Harry Potter himself._

_That is a lot of information to take in, and I do not really expect you to understand it. The fact that the Dark Lord had horcruxes is not the point of my letter; I just wished to explain that I felt that the end is drawing near. If I am lucky, you will not have to read this letter, and I can simply explain it all to you in person. However, I doubt I will be lucky in the coming days. With the Dark Lord in such a fury about his secret being known by his largest enemy, I believe things will be difficult for me._

_I hope I live to see you and Lele again and the child you told me of back in The Hog's Head. I heard through some eavesdropping that you named him Erik, but the fact of that has never been confirmed as the only person at Hogwarts who would know (Professor Vector) will not speak to me. I do not blame her; it truly seems that I am evil. In fact, I myself find it hard to see any good in myself. My life is one of confusion and pain. I do not wish to die so unhappy, but I also welcome death because it will release me from it all._

_Potter will know the truth about me protecting him because of his mother soon. You already know that story. However, you probably won't have heard about the truth about Dumbledore yet as you were in Italy._

The next few pages of the letter explained in length what had really occurred with Dumbledore and then moved on to cover Snape's days as Hogwarts headmaster. Eleanor ached inside just to read about all of the things that Snape had gone through, how he had to endure scorn and hate from everyone although he was always Dumbledore's man. It was not an easy letter to read because Snape was true to his word and was honest with her, telling her everything that had occurred. Although she never wanted Snape's words to end, it was almost a relief when she reached the final sheet of parchment.

_I wish I could keep writing to you; I wish I had the time. I have told you almost everything about the past year concerning what was really going on with me. Instead of telling you more horrible details about my tribulations, I'm going to take these last few sentences to just give you my goodbye._

_I love you dearly and believe you are the best thing that ever happened to me. Lily was the love of my life, but you made my life bearable and happy at times without her. You understand me more deeply than I think she ever did, and I thank you for that. I have missed your company the past year more than anyone could imagine except perhaps you. At least, I hope you missed me as well. I also hope that you trusted me like you said you would; I do not doubt that you did. Thank you for that._

_I really have no idea how to close this letter. What can I possibly say to bring this to some sort of closure? I guess the best I can do is to say once again that I love you and that you are the most wonderful friend._

_Good luck with your beautiful family and take care._

_Lots of love for the last time,_

_Severus Snape_

Eleven years later, Eleanor and Theo stood on Platform Nine and Three Quarters with 16-year-old Lele (who preferred to be called Lena at that point), eager 11-year-old Erik, and disappointed 8-year-old Serenity.

Life had moved on for their family after the end of the war just as it had for everyone. Eleanor had sold Spinner's End but had taken Snape's personal library and multiple other items as her own. She thought about him often, but as the years had passed, the thoughts became less depressing and less frequent. Most of the time she simply did not have time to dwell on the sadness of the past; she had her three children to take care of and had become the top archaeologist and researcher at I.O.W.A. within five years of Voldemort's downfall. Despite being a bit shaky at Rune translations, she was unbelievably good at what she did. Theo had also moved up high in his profession as an auror, second only to the famous Harry Potter.

"I see Anita Wood, mum!" Lena exclaimed. "I'll see you at Christmas!" She gave quick hugs to bother her parents and zipped off towards a group of giggly Slytherin and Ravenclaw girls. It made Eleanor smile to see that her Slytherin daughter was making friends outside of her house.

"Hello Theo. Eleanor." Eleanor and Theo turned to their left to see Harry Potter approaching them with an older woman and a boy who appeared to be close to Erik's age. "This is my godson Teddy and his grandmother Andromeda. I thought Ginny and I would see him off. However, I managed to lose Ginny to a crowd of mothers somewhere back there." He grinned and subconsciously rubbed his old scar. Eleanor and Theo spoke with Harry and Andromeda for a few minutes and soon enough Ginny joined them.

Not long after Ginny appeared, Erik loudly stated, "Teddy and I are going to find a compartment. Goodbye mother, father."

Eleanor giggled at her son's attempts to be mature and managed a quick kiss before he darted away. "I'm going to miss my baby boy. It's so difficult to watch all of my children go off to school. At least I still have you, Serenity."

"When can I go with Erik to school?" Serenity promptly questioned.

"Three years baby," Eleanor responded, bending down to Serenity's height to brush some hair out of her eyes.

"That's a really long time!"

"You will be here to go to Hogwarts before you know it. Besides, don't you like going on trips with mummy to Italy? When you're at Hogwarts we can only go during the summer and that is if I don't have other places to go on business."

"I do like Italy…"

That evening, after Eleanor put Serenity to bed, she was sitting in front of her bedroom window staring up at the moon. She was thinking about her two babies at a Hogwarts that she hardly knew and wondering what house Erik had ended up in. Septima Vector had promised to send her an owl as soon as Erik was sorted but that owl most likely wouldn't show up until the next night or the morning after. Until then, she just had to wait. She was also thinking about Severus; the nights when her children headed to Hogwarts were always the worst.

"Elle?" Theo entered the bedroom in his bathrobe. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about Erik." She sighed.

"Is that all?" He took a seat on the bed, and she joined him on it, snuggling up against him.

"No," she admitted. "I was thinking some about Severus too. It's still hard, especially when I think about how he isn't at Hogwarts to teach my babies."

"Elle, I know you prefer talking to Leigh, normally, and would really want to talk to Severus again…but I can listen too, you know. Would you like to talk about it?"

She nodded slowly as a few tears dripped out of her eyes. "Thank you, Theo."

So Theo listened to his wife long into the night despite them both having to go to work the next morning. She quickly learned that he would listen to her just as well as Severus had, and she was content.

FINITE

A/N: This is the first story of any sort of length that I have ever completed, and I want to thank all of the wonderful people who helped me including my Beta Chloe and my friends Jennifer and Laura who were the first two people to read almost every part. Thanks is also due to Ravenclawblonde1428 and Hufflepuffbrunette247, two wonderful ladies who had something nice to say about each chapter. I am also thankful for all of the readers who were kind enough to send me private messages and leave reviews. In fact, I'm thankful for anyone who read the story, even if they were completely silent in their doing so. If you enjoyed the story and haven't left a comment before, it would mean a lot to me if you would comment on this part! Thank you all for sticking around and reading all the way to the end!


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